


Journey to Mortis

by darthbrooks



Series: The Daario Trilogy [2]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Angst, Canon Compliant, Complete, Eventual Smut, F/M, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Kylo Ren vs. Ahsoka Tano, Lightsaber Battles (Star Wars), Loss of Limbs, Lothal Temple (Star Wars), Planet Ilum (Star Wars), Planet Kijimi (Star Wars), Planet Mortis (Star Wars), Planet Zakuul (Star Wars), Pre-Star Wars: The Force Awakens, References to Mortis Arc (Star Wars: The Clone Wars), Romance, Sibling Rivalry, Smut, Starkiller Base (Star Wars), The World Between Worlds (Star Wars), Twins
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-23
Updated: 2021-02-23
Packaged: 2021-03-13 06:56:04
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 8
Words: 20,308
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29647500
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/darthbrooks/pseuds/darthbrooks
Summary: Den and Ana Daario have been forced to renounce their Jedi ways and serve the insidious First Order. Now, they are sent on a quest to unlock a door to the mysterious realm of Mortis, but their allegiance to each other will be tested along the way...(Takes place 4 years before The Force Awakens)
Relationships: Kylo Ren/Original Female Character(s)
Series: The Daario Trilogy [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2178537





	1. The Inquisition

The icy blue and pastel pink surface of Mygeeto gleamed below as the Bunker-buster cleared the atmosphere, flanked by T-70 X-wings.

On the bridge of the corvette, Captain Metcalf stood with his hands folded behind his back. A T-70 X-wing came flush up to the bridge.

“We’ve got your six, captain,” the pilot commed through.

Behind Captain Metcalf, the Force priestess was wringing her hands, sometimes nervously thumbing at the circular amulet hanging from her neck.

“Why aren’t we making the jump to hyperspace, Captain?” she asked nervously.

“Protocol,” the captain responded, “D’Qar is only a few parsecs away, we don’t have the resources to burn hyperfuel on short jumps like that. Besides—the First Order is rarely active in this quadrant. We’re too far past the Borderlands.”

“Please,” she said, “It’s of the utmost importance this amulet is delivered to safe hands.”

“With all due respect, Priestess Shendra,” the captain replied haughtily, “You’re with the Resistance, now. This _is_ safe hands.”

The corvette cruised along, past the planet’s thin ring of ice, flanked by the starfighters.

“Captain Metcalf,” one of the deck officers piped up, “There’s a small craft coming out of hyperspace.”

“One ship?” he squinted into the space ahead of them. Out of the darkness, a jet-black ship emerged, the sun glinting off of its glossy veneer. It was slender and flat, flanked by angular wings. “Scramble fighters, that’s a TIE!”

The deck officers were booting up the targeting systems. “The hell model is that? I’ve never seen one like that before!”

Den Daario adjusted his black fighter helmet onto his head as he came in range of the corvette.

“You in position?” he asked.

Ana swung around in the turret seat fixed on the under-belly of their modified TIE-reaper, the _Raven._

“Ready to blast through some X-wings,” she affirmed.

“Good, I’m getting in range,” Den said, “Easy on the bunkerbuster—only hit their turrets.”

The X-wings were scrambling, flanking them on all sides.

“Hold on!” Den called. He jerked the throttle, sending the _Raven_ barrel rolling quickly before diving straight down, the X-wings hot on pursuit.

“They’re lined up,” Ana said, the turret gun jerking her as she fired, taking out one of the pursuing X-wings, leaving another dodging while still in pursuit.

The alarm bell began to ring in the cockpit. “Ana take care of that guy, he’s locking onto us!”

“I’m working on it!” Ana responded, frustrated, her targeting computer struggling to blink onto the pursuing starfighter.

Den looked ahead—the other two fighters were coming in hot from the front, and they were getting in range of the corvette, its mounted cannons beginning to fire. Den fired the forward lasers, sending one of the X-wings barreling towards the planet in flames.

“I’m losing shields here, Ana!”

“l said I’m _working_ on it!” 

Ana fired, disposing of the pursuing X-wing, leaving only one that whizzed under them, Ana watching through the glass dome under her feet. She fired a few times but missed.

“Great,” Den grumbled, shifting the throttle and diving so the ship was upside-down. He slowly righted himself.

“Hey, that one is baiting us towards the corvette!”

“Yeah, I _see_ that,” Den retorted, “Divert power to shields—we’re going in.”

Ana flipped a switch and revolved around. The corvette had all of its guns firing on them, and since it was a more stationary target, she was able to take the turrets on its underbelly out.

“Nice!” Den said, watching the plumes of smoke and flame coming off the Resistance command ship, “Now if I can just get this last fighter...” He trained his eyes on the targeting system, closing his eyes and focusing. He heard a beep as the screen blinked to green, locking on to the X-wing. He punched a button, firing a missile from the _Raven,_ pursuing the missile. The X-wing jerked side to side, trying to evade, but the missile caught up to it, blowing it up.

“See?” Den said, “That’s why _I’m_ the pilot.”

“Whatever.”

“Now let’s disable that Corvette.” Den flicked another switch, firing another projectile at the bunker-buster’s hull, a trail of blue ejecting behind it. It exploded against the hull in a flurry of blue sparks.

In the bridge, Captain Metcalf’s eyes went wide as he watched the command consoles sizzle with tiny bolts of electricity.

“Sir, they’ve disabled our systems!”

Metcalf came to a realization. “We’re being boarded! Defend the hallway!”

The crew scrambled to take position, pouring out of the bridge with their blasters drawn.

It was silent, and then the sudden crashing of metal and a shift in the ship’s bearing as the _Raven_ lodged itself on top of the command ship. There was another clattering sound as the top access port was breached. The Resistance crew looked nervously towards the door as it blinked its indicator lights three times before opening to silence and darkness.

Only the sound of nervous breathing could be heard as they gripped their blaster pistols, until red light flooded the hallway. On either side of the entrance, double-sided red lightsabers buzzed to life, each one standing almost as tall as the black-clad agents who wielded them.

“Fire!”

Blaster fire began to rain down the hallway, but the Daario twins twirled their lightsabers in a fury, deflecting blaster bolt after blaster bolt. They were almost impossible to hit—the red blades sometimes spinning so fast they seemed to form a full disc of light as the Force-sensitives made their way towards the bridge.

At close range, those who hadn’t been killed by deflected fire were easy enough to cut through with the blades, sending them slamming and slumping against the white walls. The smell of ozone filled the air as the smoke settled, and in unison, Den and Ana wielded their blades two-handed to saw out an opening in the locked bridge door.

Captain Metcalf was standing there, his pistol shaking in his hand.

“You stop right there!”

He fired, but Ana quickly flipped her blade and deflected the blaster bolt back at him, hitting him square in the shoulder and sending him stumbling back into the control console.

Shendra, the priestess, was trembling, clutching her amulet in her hands. Den and Ana disengaged their sabers.

“You must be Shendra,” Ana said.

“I have nothing for you,” Shendra told them, her voice quavering.

“Ah, but you’re wrong,” Den coaxed her, “Information is a valuable commodity these days.”

“Please,” Shendra begged, “There doesn’t need to be any more bloodshed.”

“No, you’re right, there doesn’t,” Den said. He flicked the switch on his lightsaber, folding it in half and igniting one of its blades flush to Shendra’s throat. “Just tell us where Lor San Tekka is.”

“I’ll die before I tell you,” she protested.

Den snickered. He motioned to Ana. “We’ll see about that.”

Ana approached, holding a hand out flush to Shendra’s head. Shendra groaned and panted as the First Order’s agent probed her mind. Ana closed her eyes, knitting her eyebrows.

“Nothing,” she said, “Nothing about Tekka.”

“This one’s useless,” Den said, “Guess the Resistance wasn’t dumb enough to know that.”

Ana lowered her hand, releasing Shendra’s mind. She was shaking with fear.

“Please—I told you, I have nothing for you.”

“What should we do with her?” Den asked.

“Let her go,” Ana said, “Let her take a warning back to the Resistance.”

“And let them know we’re on the hunt for Tekka?” Den asked, “No, I don’t think so.”

“Den, she doesn’t know anything—”

No sooner than she could finish, her brother grabbed the priestess by the shoulder and thrust his lightsaber through her stomach—her breath catching in her throat as she was impaled. Den disengaged his blade, letting her fall to the floor.

“Or you could just ignore me,” Ana grumbled.

Den knelt down beside her, furrowing his brow as he caught sight of something around her neck. He reached out, ripping her amulet off by the chain. Standing, he held it up in the light to examine it.

“Check this out,” Den said, “You recognize this?”

“It looks like the amulet from Nirauan,” Ana commented. The memory of that planet still haunted her. Her brother’s betrayal. The look in his eyes as she nearly squeezed the life from him. 

“Yeah...” Den ruminated, “We should report back. Snoke will want to see this.”

The icy wind whipped through Kylo’s dark hair as he watched the _Raven_ whirring over the snowy surface of Starkiller Base. The thrusters were deafeningly loud as Den lowered onto the landing platform, emitting that familiar TIE-engine screech.

He watched as the twins descended the ramp, their black armored uniforms a stark contrast to the snowy whiteness around them.

“I understand you’ve found something,” Kylo said to them curtly.

Den pulled the amulet from his breastplate and held it by the chain, allowing it to catch the gleam of the bright midday sun.

“Looks familiar, huh?”

“Why did you ask us to land here?” Ana asked, “Why aren’t we back at base?”

Kylo pursed his lips. “Follow me.”

Ana and Den exchanged a look. Kylo Ren led them to a mechanical platform, built into the metal structure embedded into the planet’s surface. A light on the floor of it turned from red to white, and the platform began to lower into the structure.

The gears whirred as they descended past the metal building, and down into an icy elevator shaft—the glacial walls glistening in the sunlight leaking through from topside.

“What is this place?” Ana asked.

“One of Snoke’s excavation projects,” Kylo said, “Before this was Starkiller Base, it was Ilum. This world was sacred to the Jedi for its abundance of kyber crystals.”

Den came to a realization. “This planet’s core is made of kyber,” Den said, “That’s what powers the weapon.”

“After the Purge,” Kylo continued, “The Empire stripped the planet for resources, uncovering Jedi ruins thousands of years old, deep below the ice.”

“And these amulets figure in somehow?” Ana asked.

“We’ll see,” Kylo told her. The elevator came to a halt, revealing a giant stone chamber built into the ice. There were inscriptions carved into the walls in arches above their heads.

“Check out these inscriptions,” Den commented, “They must be thousands of years old. Looks nothing like Aurebesh.”

As they entered a circular, domed chamber, a tall figure lurked in the darkness, turning to greet them.

“My loyal servants,” he greeted, his deep voice booming off the underground walls, “I understand you have a gift for me.”

“Yes, Supreme Leader,” Den said, presenting the amulet to him.

“Ah, yes,” Snoke hissed with delight, “This is precisely what I was looking for.” He strode to a pedestal on the far side of the chamber, placing the circular stone into a slot on top. It shimmered with a white light as it settled into its spot.

Ana furrowed her brow. _That’s it?_ she thought. “What is this place, Supreme Leader?” she asked, tempering the skepticism in her voice.

“My dear girl,” Snoke said, “This—this place is the _key._ ”

“The key to what?”

“The power to manipulate time itself,” Snoke said, “The _Power of Mortis_.”

He noted the blank expressions on Den and Ana’s faces.

“I understand your ignorance,” he told them, “It’s not something the Jedi would have taught you. You see, this place—is an ancient Jedi planetarium.” He gestured to the ceiling, which was softly glowing with what appeared to be a rudimentary star-chart. He paced past the pedestals—five of them, arranged in an arc shape. “Once all the amulets are placed in here, the way to Mortis will open.”

“Where—or _what—_ is Mortis?” Den asked.

“A realm of gods,” Snoke reflected, the power of those words lingering on his tongue, “A nexus of the Force like no other.”

A heavy feeling set in Ana’s chest. If such a place existed, Snoke gaining access to it would surely be very dangerous. Den scanned the room—each pedestal was filled, the two on the right occupied by the amulets from Mygeeto and Nirauan. Only one pedestal on the left end of the arch remained empty.

“There’s one left,” Den observed, “So—the puzzle is almost complete.”

“Indeed,” Snoke said, “So close—but yet so far. It could take decades to locate the last amulet.”

“We’ll find it,” Den assured him.

Snoke laughed haughtily. “So eager to please,” he mocked, “But foolish. You don’t even know where to look.”

The blood flushed from Den’s face as Kylo stepped forward. “Master,” he said, “I found an engraving in one of the chambers seeming to depict a special kyber crystal that could focus the coordinates of the star-chart. Showing us the location of the amulet.”

“Have you now?” Snoke asked.

“Yes,” Kylo told him, “I believe it can be found in the crystal caverns under the planetarium.”

“Very well,” Snoke said, “If you trust this hunch, go fetch it. Take one of the twins with you. Those caverns are largely untouched.”

“I’ll go,” Ana quickly volunteered. Snoke glowered at her, a knowing glint in his beady eyes.

“My friends,” he said, “If we can unlock the Power of Mortis through this place—we can _control the universe._ ”

Den watched as Ana and Kylo walked side by side into a tunnel off the chamber, his fist clenched. _Always the favorite,_ he thought ruefully.


	2. The Cave

The snow crunched under Kylo Ren’s boots as they trudged deep into the cave. Even without any sort of artificial light, the walls of the cave seemed to glow with a dim blue light—indicative of the kyber embedded in the bedrock of the planet.

“This planet is incredible,” Ana said, “It’s almost like—the deeper we go, the stronger I can feel the Force.”

“I feel it too,” Kylo commented, “It’s hard to sense from the surface.”

Ana thought about the sight of the planet from space—the equatorial trench carved into it like a scar. Her stomach turned—this was a very sacred and special place, and the First Order had turned it into a superweapon. A superweapon that, when unleashed, could kill billions in seconds.

Ana trailed just behind him, training her eyes on his tall frame for guidance through the darkened cavern.

“So I have to ask,” she said, “What do you know about this... _Mortis_ place?”

“Only a little,” Kylo admitted, “There were mentions of it in the Jedi texts.”

“Wait—you read those?”

Kylo looked back at her, a glint in his eyes. “What, you didn’t?”

She shoved him playfully, sending him side-stepping through the snow, a grin on his face. “I was a lot less focused then,” Ana said, “You know this.”

“As I was saying,” Kylo continued, “Mortis is... a planet. Or a realm. It’s unclear. Both within and without our galaxy. Once inhabited by gods.”

“ _Once_ inhabited?” Ana asked, “What happened to them?”

“There were three of them,” Kylo said, “The Daughter, who was a Light-Wielder, the Son, who was a Dark-Wielder, and the Father—the only one who could keep balance between them. My uncle told me a story that the Father was old and dying, and only the Chosen One could replace him.”

“The Chosen One?” Ana asked.

“An old prophecy,” Kylo explained, “An individual conceived by the Force for the purpose of maintaining balance.”

“And so what—did a Chosen One come along to replace the Father?”

“The Son became greedy and killed the Daughter, unbalancing the Force,” Kylo told her, “To restore balance, the Father took his own life—which deprived the Son of his power and killed him.”

“You have to realize how crazy this all sounds,” Ana said, “The Force is an energy field. It’s not controlled by... _gods._ ”

“ _Gods_ may not be the right word,” Kylo explained, “Embodiments. Vessels of the Force.”

“Now dead.”

“My uncle believed they would reincarnate,” he said, “That there had already been a Chosen One in his lifetime. And somewhere out there—there’s a Light-Wielder and a Dark-Wielder. At odds. With only the Chosen One able to balance them out.”

“So what do _you_ believe?” Ana asked, “You think they’re out there?”

“I think there’s a lot my uncle wasn’t telling us.”

They came into a chamber darker than the rest, rounded and hollowed out with glacial walls of ice surrounding them.

“Great,” Ana grumbled, “Dead end.”

“Not so fast,” Kylo said. He lowered his brow as a crackling sound echoed through the ice. Ana looked around with apprehension as the sound got louder, as if something was barreling its way through the ice. She watched her breath hang in the air—something was wrong.

“Kylo, I don’t think we’re alone—”

_CRASH!_

Through the icy ceiling, a giant segmented worm-like beast came smashing through the ice, its skin glowing red from the heat it was emanating, having just melted a hole through the glacial walls.

Ana ignited her saber. “Razhak!”

Kylo ignited his own saber and stood his ground as the creature lifted the front of its body like a serpent, two probing antenna sensing his presence from above a gaping maw of serrated teeth. He narrowed his eyes—these creatures had plagued the early construction of Starkiller Base. They were dangerous predators, able to heat their bodies to incredible temperatures to burrow their way through the ice.

He swung his saber, the razhak slinking its serpentine body to dodge. Ana formed a fist and pulled, pulling the worm’s head up and freezing it in place, allowing Kylo to swing his weapon and lob the creature’s head off.

Ana squinted, seeing two dark shapes emerging in the ice behind Kylo.

“Kylo, look out!”

Two more razhak came barreling out of the ice, slithering past Kylo and barreling towards Ana. As their red glow diminished as they cooled, one of them thwacked Kylo in his arm, singing through his cloak and burning the skin.

“Agh!” he dropped to his knee, clutching his arm.

Ana flicked her lightsaber to its double-edged configuration, whipping it around, swiping both creatures on their plated throats. They screeched in anger, one of their gaping maws coming straight for her. She turned her back, shoving her saber behind her, stabbing the beast straight through—dying on the end of her blade. The other one was slithering back towards Kylo, who was just getting back to his feet after being burned. He crossed his arms in front of his face, bracing himself with his blade crackling. But no sooner than the beast could reach him, Ana threw her saber like a disc—spending it spinning through the air and cutting through the worm’s plated body. Kylo looked at her as the razhak fell dead in front of her.

“Thanks,” he said sheepishly. He was always so emasculated when she saved his ass. She _loved_ it. But her satisfaction waned as she watched him wince when he rolled his shoulder, thumbing at the burned rip in his sleeve.

“Kylo, you’re hurt.”

“I’m fine,” he insisted.

“No, you’re not,” Ana corrected him, “Let me see it.”

Kylo sighed. “I said I’m _fine._ ”

Her voice grew sterner. “ _Kylo._ ”

He rolled his eyes a little, coming to her and showing her his upper arm. She felt his firm bicep as she took hold of it, analyzing the burn.

“It’s not so bad,” she decided, “But you’ll need a bacta treatment when we return.”

“Let’s hurry up and find this crystal then,” Kylo said, “I don’t want to keep Snoke waiting.”

After a series of intricate tunnels, Kylo and Ana began to feel an intense vergence in the Force—following the energy to an enormous chamber that glowed bright blue, the walls of the cave encrusted in outcroppings of kyber crystal.

“Wow,” Ana breathed. She had never seen such a place. The energy radiating through the chamber was palpable.

The light pooled in Kylo’s dark eyes as he gazed around. “Think of what you could do with this much kyber...” he ruminated.

“Think of how much more there was on this planet,” Ana said, “Before it was stripped away.”

“This world was mined by the Empire decades ago,” Kylo said, “The First Order simply built into the trench they created.”

“Same difference.”

Kylo shot her an admonishing glare, before striding around the chamber, surveying the walls. “The focusing crystal must be in here somewhere,” he said.

Ana’s eyes shot straight back, past two crystalline pillars. There, between a stalactite and a stalagmite, a singular crystal was hovering in the air, inscribed with ancient writing around its middle.

“Hm,” she hummed loudly, “Could _this_ be it?”

Kylo looked to the hovering crystal, and then to her with his lips pursed. “I’d say so, probably, yes.”

He stepped towards it, it’s serene glow reflecting off of his pallid face. He reached a gloved hand towards it, tenuously, grabbing it from its resting place and resting it in his hand.

“We should return this to Snoke,” Kylo said.

“Wait—” she grabbed his wrist, lowering her hand into his, “I need to know. Snoke mentioned that harnessing the Power of Mortis would allow him to control the universe—what is he talking about?”

Kylo sighed, his breath appearing in the air between them. “It’s all based on rumor. Old legends. Pieces of old Imperial research data,” he explained, his voice hushed, as if afraid he would be heard, “There’s a plane only known as the World Between Worlds. A place in between time and space. Between the cosmic and the living. In that plane, all places and all moments exist at once.”

“Kylo—” Ana started, “If something like that _exists,_ then—”

“We could change the past,” Kylo said, “And the future.”

“Snoke shouldn’t have that power,” Ana said firmly, “So before we take that back—”

He stepped in close to her, his eyes narrowing. “ _What_ are you suggesting?”

She studied him. This was her chance. She knew there was still good in him. And for the past two years, she was biding her time until she could find a way out. For both of them. To free him from the Dark Side.

“We should find the power ourselves,” she said, taking a deep breath, “And we should use it... to kill Snoke.”

“Ana, what you’re suggesting is _treason,_ ” Kylo whispered.

“Think about it,” she said, “We would be free of him. _You_ would be the master of your own fate.” She spoke carefully, deliberately choosing her words. She took his hands in hers. “We could carve a place in the galaxy for ourselves. Kylo, with that power—we could do _anything._ ”

He looked at her intensely, and for a moment she thought he might be angry. But then she was taken by surprise, as his lips met hers—kissing her passionately, hungrily.

“I love you,” he said.

She smiled. “I know.”

Snoke, Den and Ana watched from the sides of the planetarium as Kylo placed the crystal on the central pedestal. The glowing light focused itself, projecting a more detailed star-map on the ceiling—worlds denoting themselves as glimmering white dots on the rock.

“Amazing,” Den said, looking at the ceiling and then to a data-pad in his hand, “This chart is rudimentary, but it matches up with our current database pretty well.”

“Well,” Snoke groaned impatiently, “Where is the last amulet?”

There were pillars of light pointing from each amulet’s pedestal to specific white dots on the star-chart. Den followed the one from the vacant pedestal with his eyes, busily cross-referencing with his data-pad.

“Looks like...” he checked himself twice, “Zakuul. The remaining amulet is on Zakuul.”

Snoke smiled, his rotting teeth glaring. “Good—you and your sister will go at once,” he said, “Ren—you will stay here.”

Ana and Den exchanged a look. “Yes, Supreme Leader.”


	3. The Apprentice

The _Raven_ ’s thrusters whirred as they breached the bottom of the low-hanging clouds above the surface of Zakuul. Ana leaned forward in the co-pilot’s seat, marveling at the landscape below.

Swamps spread out endlessly for miles, accentuated with enormous, monolithic structures like tree trunks extending all the way into the clouds.

“Wow,” Ana said, “Check out those ruins.”

“They must be thousands of years old,” Den replied, “This planet was once the seat of an Empire, but it’s been abandoned for thousands of years.”

“Why do you know everything about everywhere we go?”

Den shrugged. “I like doing my research,” he quipped. He looked ahead at an enormous structure rising out of the swamp. “That looks like a good place to start.”

“I agree,” Ana said, “I feel... _something_ coming from that tower.”

“So do I. Let’s check it out.”

Den pressed the throttle in, cruising towards the ground and lowering the ship in front of the tower’s entrance.

As they entered, they could practically hear the air bouncing off the enormous walls of the tower. It was enormous, and stretched up endlessly into the sky—but the inside was hollow. Only several winding branches filled the gap, where they had grown through the stone and wormed their way through the structure over the past several-thousand years. Moisture seeping in from the massive swamp outside was working its way in, dripping down the ancient walls.

“It feels like no one has been here in thousands of years,” Ana commented.

“I don’t know—” Den said, “Sorta feels like we’re not alone.”

Ana trailed her eyes up the walls, to a branch—startled when she saw a hooded figure perched on top of one of them.

“Aaaahhh!!” A battle cry sounded as the figure leaped down, two white lightsabers ignited as she crashed down upon Ana, who ignited her own red blade to block.

Den came running in, both ends of his saber ignited, but the mystery figure shoved one hand out towards him, sending him flying back and thunking against the wall.

Ana split her sabers in two, both her and her combatant duel-wielding. As their blades clashed, she peered through the flickering light and peered under her opponents hood—orange skin, white markings on her cheeks and at her brow, lightly creased wrinkles around her eyes.

She pushed, pushing the hooded assailant back and bashing down on her with her crimson blades—but her opponent was too fast. Her pure white sabers nimbly parried each of her blows, staggering Ana at each step. Ana wielded like her, a blade in each hand—allowing her to predict her moves.

But just in time, Den came running in, his saber spinning in front of him, making a nearly solid wall of red in front of him. Knowing she would rather face one at a time, the hooded Jedi sent Ana flying with a mere flick of her wrist, allowing her to engage Den. She clicked her tongue—this other one was adept with the double-ended saber, reminding her of an old adversary she had faced on Mandalore long ago.

Den gritted his teeth, slinging his blade like a flash, clashing again and again against his opponent’s blade. For a brief moment, his blade was pushing hard against hers, and he saw her eyes—burning blue under her hood.

The clashes of sabers ricocheted off the tall tower, and for a brief moment Den caught a glimpse of something glinting around her neck, under her cloak.

He exhaled. _The last amulet._

She sensed his momentary distraction—using it to swing at him, but he dodged back, swinging overhand. Ana came in from the other side—they had her flanked. They both swung at the same time, and the hooded Jedi blocked them at just the right time, pushing off their blades to propel herself straight into the air, flipping herself so she was perched on a branch above them.

Den and Ana brandished their sabers, glowering up at her as she removed her hood, revealing two blue and white horns cresting from her head, long tails draped down onto her chest.

“Who sent you?” she demanded, her voice booming through the ancient structure.

“Just give us that amulet,” Ana said, “And we’ll be on our way.”

“You wear the armor and wield the weapons of an Inquisitor,” she responded, “But that can’t be right. I _killed_ the last Inquisitors.”

“Who are you?” Den called up to her.

“My name is Ahsoka Tano,” she responded, “Who do you serve?”

Ana and Den spoke at the same time.

“The First Order,” Ana said.

“I serve myself,” Den asserted. They exchanged a glance.

Ahsoka cocked her head. “Seems you two are in disagreement,” she said, “But I see the sigil on your armor.”

“We don’t serve them willingly,” Den said. Ana lowered her brow at him. _Speak for yourself,_ she thought. “We were once Jedi students under Luke Skywalker. After the temple was destroyed, we were sworn into servitude in exchange for our lives.

Ahsoka studied him. Den disengaged his saber, holstering it, shooting a glance to Ana, trying to prompt her to do the same. She huffed, and followed suit, hanging her weapon on her hip.

“We may be able to help each other,” Den offered.

Ahsoka pursed her lips. “Very well,” she said. She jumped down, seeming to float to the ground. “Follow me.”

Elsewhere in the swamp, in the shadow of the ancient towers, there was a small, modest hut. The Togruta sat at a fire, stoking it with a stick as she sat on a tree stump, her gray cloak draped over her.

Ana and Den sat across from her. They had been silent for some time. Her presence was commanding—it was almost as if they awaited permission to speak.

“So tell me,” Ahsoka said, “Why do you seek the amulet?”

Ana held her tongue. She wasn’t apt to give this stranger any information that could compromise the plan she had privately made with Kylo.

But Den was a fountain of information. “Snoke has found a place below Starkiller Base that he believes to be a Door to Mortis,” Den told her, “The amulet you wear is the last piece of the puzzle to unlock it.”

“Ilum,” Ahsoka said, remembering the name sadly. Before the Purge, she had taken dozens of younglings there to choose the kyber crystals for their first lightsabers. “I wanted to find the door myself. But when I set out, it was too late. The First Order had already ripped the planet to pieces.”

“So it is truly a Door to Mortis then?” Ana interjected.

Ahsoka looked up at her from across the fire. “It’s a door, alright,” Ahsoka said, “But Mortis isn’t necessarily somewhere you can find yourself. Sometimes, Mortis has to find _you._ ”

“How do _you_ know?”

A slight smirk crossed her face. “I’ve been.”

Ana sat up on her haunches. “How did you get there?” she asked eagerly.

The Togruta kept her eyes trained down on the fire. “During the Clone Wars, my master was summoned there,” she said, “Our ship was transported to unknown coordinates, and pulled into the planet’s atmosphere by an unseen force.”

“Who summoned your master?” Den asked.

“The Mortis gods—powerful beings who were the embodiments of different sides of the Force,” she explained, “But our arrival put events into motion that led to their deaths.”

Ana took a sharp inhale. Kylo was right—the story Luke had told him was true. Until now, she had suspected it to be just a legend.

“Snoke says there is a power on Mortis,” Den told her, “One he is trying to harness.”

Ahsoka hummed knowingly. “Then like the Sith before him, he’s trying to access the World Between Worlds.”

Den furrowed his brow. “What is that?”

Ana piped up. “It’s another plane of reality. Where all time exists as one.”

Den looked at her. “Who told you that?”

“Kylo.”

“It’s true,” Ahsoka confirmed, “The World Between Worlds can be used to alter the past. An old friend once used it to save my life.”

Den was still glaring at Ana. “How does Kylo know that?”

“It’s in ancient texts. And old Imperial research files.”

“Darth Sidious was trying to access the World Between Worlds decades ago,” Ahsoka said, “But he never succeeded.”

“Well Snoke is hell-bent,” Den told her, “And if he were to ever to get his hands on that amulet of yours, he _will_ succeed.”

“He can’t,” Ahsoka said definitively, “That power in the hands of a Sith would be disastrous. The door on Ilum must stay closed.”

“No—” Ana outburst, drawing glares from both Den and Ahsoka, “Please—there’s another of Luke’s students. His nephew. He’s turned the Dark Side. But I believe if I can take him to Mortis, we can kill Snoke. I can _turn_ him.”

Ahsoka sighed sadly. “My master’s grandson.”

Ana’s eyes went wide. “Your master was _Vader?_ ”

“ _No,_ ” Ahsoka said emphatically, “My master was Anakin Skywalker. Before he was corrupted.”

“Then you know how painful it is to lose someone you care about to the Dark Side,” Ana said, “You know I have to change him.”

“I know no such thing,” Ahsoka asserted, “It’s not worth it. You can’t change a person’s nature. He’s inherited that darkness. It’s in his blood.”

“He’s good,” Ana told her, “I _know_ he is.”

“You have to let him go,” Ahsoka told her, “Or you risk losing yourself to the Dark Side.”

“We’ve already lost ourselves,” Den said, “We’ve been in Snoke’s service for two years now. The things we’ve done—”

“Can be forgiven,” Ahsoka interrupted, “I can sense that neither of you are fallen to the Dark. Not _yet,_ anyway.”

Den gazed at her in disbelief. He thought that their chance at redemption had passed long ago, in the cave on Nirauan. 

“Without the amulet,” Den proposed, “Is there any way Snoke would find another way to Mortis?”

“It’s possible,” Ahsoka said, “But it sounds like Ilum is his most direct lead. He can’t know I’m out here and I have the amulet.”

“Ahsoka—” Den started, “If we go back empty-handed, we’ll have to answer for that.”

“Then I want you to listen carefully to my proposition,” she said, “Don’t go back at all. Desert the First Order. Join me. I can continue your training and offer you protection from Snoke and Kylo Ren.”

Den and Ana exchanged a glance, silent—only the crackling of the fire could be heard. Something tugged at Ana’s chest. Leaving the First Order was all she wanted. But she couldn’t leave Ben behind.

Den, on the other hand, was sold.

Ahsoka darted her eyes between them. “I sense hesitation,” she said, glaring at Ana specifically, “You two should talk about it. I’ll leave you for now. Get some rest.”

Ahsoka rose up, retreating into her hut. Den heard Ana sigh as soon as she heard Ahsoka close the door behind her.

“Ana, this is our way out,” Den told her.

“Yeah, but—” Ana said, “What about Ben?”

Den looked at her incredulously. “What _about_ Ben?” he spat, “He’s Kylo Ren now. You know. The monster that captured us and sold us out to his rotting old master.”

“He’s _lost,_ Den,” Ana pleaded with her brother, “He just needs to be led back. And I believe finding Mortis is his best shot.”

“You realize I’ve noticed you two, right?” Den accused.

“Huh?”

“Oh please,” Den continued, “You always look for excuses to go off with him. The way you look at each other. The way you _grovel_ for him.”

“I do not _grovel,_ ” Ana protested.

“Whatever,” Den said, “If you’re truly too stupid to take Ahsoka’s offer because you _think_ you’re in love with a murdering psychopath, then I don’t know what to tell you.” He stood, brushing the moist dirt off of himself from the swampy ground.

Ana stood to meet eye to eye with him. “Murdering psychopath?!” Ana retorted, “Coming from the guy who was so quick to try and kill his own _sister._ ”

“I could tell you were already a hopeless cause,” Den said, “So I figured... better you than me.”

Ana gritted her teeth, the anger welling up in her.

“Look,” Den said, his tone softening, “I _care_ about you, Ana. I just want what’s best. For _both_ of us.”

Ana sighed. “I know, Den.”

“Good,” he said, “Get some rest. Think it over. We’ll talk about it in the morning.”

Only the sound of chirping insects rang out over the dark swamp, dim lanterns lighting the way from Ahsoka’s hut to the tower they came from. Ana gently lifted herself from her bedroll—gazing over through the darkness where Den’s sleeping silhouette lay. His breathing was slow and steady—he was out.

Softly, Ana treaded a single boot on the ground, sinking into a pile of wet leaves. She stepped carefully until she figured she was out of ear-shot, and then began picking up the pace, reaching a light run as she headed back for the ship.

The sounds of the swamp almost seemed to reach a crescendo, Ana’s heart pounding, fueled by adrenaline. She knew what she had to do. But she was afraid what would follow.

She saw the _Raven_ where they had left it, at the base of the ancient tower. The entrance ramp was lowered, and here it was almost pitch-black dark. She had almost reached it when her eyes were assaulted by the sudden illumination of two white sabers.

“Leaving so soon?” Ahsoka asked.

Ana pulled her saber, lighting both ends of it and brandishing it behind her. “Get away from my ship, or you’re coming with me. Dead or alive.”

Ahsoka snickered a little. “You think you could kill me? Many have tried. Most of them stronger than _you_.”

“We’ll see.”

Ana rushed in, twirling her saber out to the side, and Ahsoka met them, crossed in an X—creating a nearly unbreakable barrier of Force that Ana couldn’t push through. She swung again, but Ahsoka, even with her more advanced age, was quick. She ducked under Ana’s blade, her lekku swinging as she popped back up, slashing her shoto saber up and under, forcing Ana to hold her weapon horizontally, blocking it, the blades searing together.

Ana closed her eyes. She had to choose her fights. Thinking about Ben, she sent out a pulse with her mind, knocking Ahsoka off the entrance ramp and back towards the tower, quickly getting in the ship and closing it. 

Shoving herself into the cockpit seat, she quickly booted up the systems and took off, the engines whirring as she left the ground. From the corner of her eye, she saw something flying off the nearby tower—her eyes went wide as Ahsoka landed on the left wing, bracing herself on it as she hung in front of Ana’s field of view. Ahsoka reached a hand out, and Ana looked in horror as the yoke listed hard left, moved by Ahsoka’s kinetic power.

The ship began to turn hard, the engines screeching as it spun out of control. Ahsoka was grimacing, straining to keep the ship under control as Ana struggled to find the switch to divert the power to the engines—she groaned with frustration, Den usually controlled the ship’s systems.

Finally she found it, and was able to hit the turbo boost, propelling the ship forward and forcing Ahsoka to lose her grip on the wing, falling back to the ground.

Quickly, Ana went through the nav-log to find the coordinates to Starkiller Base. In an instant, the ship disappeared, Ahsoka watching ruefully from the ground as it blinked out of the atmosphere.


	4. The Liberation

Den squinted at the sunbeams streaming through the trees as he woke up, his vision coming into focus at Ahsoka standing over him, a grim look on her face.

“Huh, good morning,” Den mumbled, rubbing his eyes then looking around, “Where’s Ana?”

“Your sister left.”

A shadow crossed Den’s face. He stood. “What do you mean she _left_?”

“I caught her in the middle of the night, boarding your TIE,” Ahsoka told him, “I tried to stop her, but she escaped.”

A lump formed in his throat. “That... _bitch!_ I can’t believe she would just leave me here! For _Kylo._ ”

Ahsoka put a hand on his shoulder. “She’s lost, Den,” she told him, “You need to let her go.”

“I knew this day would come,” Den said sadly, “This is what I get. I tried to abandon her too, you know. Two years ago. The reason we survived the attack on the temple—I was _leaving_ the Jedi Order. She came to stop me.”

“This isn’t the same,” Ahsoka assured him, “Ana has made a choice that will lead to her ruin. You should be thankful she didn’t drag you down with her.”

“She loves Kylo,” Den told her, “She wants to redeem him. She thinks that she can rebuild the Jedi if she can do that.”

Ahsoka sighed. “You know, I left the Jedi Order too.”

“You did?”

“I did. Just before the end of the Clone Wars,” Ahsoka said, “They had lost their way. Lost sight of what was important. And that led to their ruin.”

“I felt crazy for wanting to leave,” Den said, “Like I was... ungrateful.”

“The Jedi were always doomed to fail,” Ahsoka told him, “Luke Skywalker didn’t realize that.”

“But... aren’t _you_ a Jedi?” Den asked.

Ahsoka pursed her lips. “I’m no Jedi,” she said.

“What now then?” Den asked, “Ana will tell Kylo Ren where you are. He’ll come looking for the amulet.”

The corner of her mouth curled into a smirk. “I guess we better get going then.” Den’s eyes lit up.

“Let’s go.”

Kylo sensed a dark shadow approaching, causing him to turn his masked head around to find Ana entering in a huff.

“Where is the amulet?” he demanded.

“Does the name Ahsoka Tano mean anything to you?”

He lunged over her, imposing as his voice was garbled through his vocoder. “Where is she?”

“On Zakuul,” Ana said, “She has the amulet. She’s turned Den against us.” She felt the rage boiling in Kylo when she said that. 

“Then we will deal with them _both._ ”

Ahsoka had stashed her shuttle on a high mountaintop, conducting reconnaissance on a rocky ridge, looking through binocs at the snow-swept stone city.

“This planet is almost in the Mid Rim,” Ahsoka said, looking dourly at an AT-ST patrolling through the streets, “The First Order is gaining ground.”

“Why doesn’t the Republic do something?” Den asked, “This has to be a violation of the Galactic Concordance.”

“Fear,” Ahsoka answered, “The Senate was always afraid of a fight, even in the old days.”

Den panned his gaze up the mountain—the city was on three plateaus, leading up to what appeared to be a temple at the summit—an enormous red First Order banner hung from it.

“So you just take the fight to them yourself, is that it?”

“I’ve always followed the same mantra,” Ahsoka said, “In my life, when you find people who need your help, you help them, no matter what. The people on this planet are suffering under the First Order’s rule.”

“What’s our move?”

“We infiltrate the base,” she said, “Destroy it, and we wipe the First Order from this world.”

“Let’s move then.” Den ignited his lightsaber, his blade searing red against the snow. Ahsoka looked at it with pursed lips. She rose and placed a hand under his on the hilt.

“Let this be your first lesson,” Ahsoka said, “Your kyber crystals have been bled. They’re impure.”

“I’ve never been able to connect with this lightsaber like I could my old one,” Den said, “It’s always felt... cloudy to me.”

“Close your eyes,” Ahsoka instructed, prompting him to breathe steadily, “I learned this on Raada, just after the Purge. I need you to focus on the impurity in the crystals.”

Den shut his eyes tight, reaching out.

“Do you feel it?”

“I feel it.”

“Good,” Ahsoka said, “Imagine that Dark energy flowing out of the crystals. Like a stream.”

Den breathed steadily, the red of his lightsaber softening into a pink.

“Good. Let that energy go. Release it.”

Den focused his mind on the crystals, feeling the hilt warm in his hand as the blade finally brightened into a pure white. His eyes fluttered open, marveling at it through the snowflakes drifting through the night air, illuminated by the austere blade.

Ahsoka smiled. “ _Now_ you’re ready.”

Ahsoka and Den knelt behind barricades in the snowy courtyard in front of the barracks. Stormtroopers milled about in specialized cold-weather gear, shaky gloved hands gripping blaster rifles.

“ _Cover me,”_ Ahsoka mouthed to Den before slinking around, just behind a transport vehicle. She was almost completely silent as she moved through the shadows, the stormtrooper unsuspecting as she emerged behind him, drawing her white blades out from each other and cutting the trooper down.

On the other side of the courtyard, Den ran in with his blade spinning, the trooper blinded by the white light flickering towards him. Den swung his arm overhead, slicing through the trooper’s helmet and striking him down.

A door to the base whizzed open, three more troopers coming out.

“Intruders! Blast them!”

A barrage of laser fire rained towards them, forcing both of the Jedi to swing their blades to deflect the fire, which was bouncing all around the courtyard, singing burn-marks into the stone walls.

Ahsoka thrust a hand out, pushing the troopers down the entrance, causing them to land in a heap at the far end of the hallway.

Seeing their clear path, Ahsoka and Den ran into the base.

“What’s the plan?” Den asked her.

“Their artillery will be ahead,” she told him, “Surely we can find some way to blow this base sky-high.”

Kylo stood, fist clenched, looking upon the vast swamps of Zakuul. There was no sign of life anywhere. Ana was standing behind him, bewildered.

“Kylo—” she started, “I’m so sorry, I didn’t know—”

“You didn’t know they would _escape?_ ”

“I didn’t know she had a ship!”

He looked back at her, glowering over his shoulder until he began to skulk towards her, the rage boiling inside him.

“I’m sorry, Kylo. I thought I did the right thing by coming back to tell you. I thought I—”

As he approached, the anger reached a boiling point within him. Inhaling sharply, he raised his right hand, the back of his black-gloved hand to strike her.

But instead of wincing, Ana merely glared up at him.

“If you’re gonna hit me, you better hope you don’t miss.”

Kylo opened his eyes, his gaze softening as he curled his fingers back, tucking his hand reluctantly by his side.

“We _must_ find them,” Kylo said, “If Snoke finds out I’ve lost the amulet, and let Ahsoka Tano escape—” 

“We’ll figure this out,” Ana assured him, “ _Together._ ”

“Do you have any idea where they might have gone?” Kylo asked.

“I don’t know,” Ana confessed, “I can’t think of any leads.”

“I have an idea,” Kylo told her, “But you’re not going to like it.”

Ahsoka and Den had fought their way to a large hangar bay, several fighters and an AT-ST loomed large in the darkened room. The older Jedi traipsed to the middle of the chamber.

Den looked around. “It’s quiet—”

Ahsoka held up a hand to silence him, a lurching feeling in her montrals alerting her to an unseen presence.

_PYOOM!_

The forward blasters on the AT-ST fired towards her, prompting her to tumble out of the way as the walker began taking its first steps forward.

“That thing is manned!” Den shouted.

“Yeah, I see that,” Ahsoka responded ruefully, “Go for its legs!”

Den rushed in, getting under the walker as it side-stepped rapidly around him, allowing him to only get one impactful swipe at the legs, searing a burning hot red scar through the metal—but not cutting all the way through.

The walker advanced over him and towards Ahsoka, several explosive projectiles dropping from a chute on its front and rolling towards her. Her eyes went wide as she watched them blink red, and she thrust a hand out, pushing them back towards the walker—one of them exploding directly on impact with the main chassis, staggering it.

“Den, now!”

As the walker sputtered, Den came in from behind and ran between the legs with his double-ended saber extended in front of him, managing to slice clean through the legs—a metallic lurching sound echoing through the chamber as the walker fell forward.

It clanged to the ground, the operator crawling out, disoriented in his helmet. Ahsoka grabbed a nearby trooper’s blaster and set it to stun, firing it and knocking the pilot out.

“That’s the last of them, I think,” Den said.

Just as the words left his mouth, troopers flooded the chamber, their blasters drawn. The squadron leader spoke into the commlink perched on his red shoulder pauldron. “We have the Jedi surrounded.”

Ahsoka looked ruefully over to Den. “You were saying?”

The soft blue glow of the monitor screens reflected in Ana’s dark eyes as Kylo thumbed through the controls.

“Kylo,” she said, “What _is_ this place?”

He had led her down a hidden away tunnel on Starkiller Base, to what appeared to be some sort of communications center. There was a circular broadcast relay on the floor in the middle of the room.

He flicked through the controls—on a puck-shaped display, a holographic image of Den’s head flickered into view.

“This is a sort of... failsafe,” Kylo explained cautiously, “Snoke’s idea. Not mine.”

“Kylo, what _is_ this?”

“I don’t even know that it will work.”

“That _what_ will work?”

Kylo sighed longly, turning to face Ana. “During the Clone Wars, the Kaminoans were able to develop a sort of... control chip. Embedded in the brain. That responds to different commands.”

Ana took a step back from him, aghast. “You _chipped_ us?”

Kylo stammered, his eyes wide. “ _I_ didn’t. _Snoke._ Snoke did.”

“You knew about it,” Ana said grimly, “You could’ve told me.”

“Snoke did it because he doesn’t trust you—”

“And _you_ kept it from me,” Ana retorted, “Because _you_ don’t trust me.”

“Ana, that’s—”

She held a hand up. “We’ll talk about this later,” she said, “How do we find Den?”

“We can’t track him,” Kylo said, “Making the chips trackable would compromise your missions, and risk giving away the location of Starkiller. But I can issue a remote command to—”

“To mind-control him.”

“I don’t know if it will _work._ ”

“And if he resists?” Ana asked, “My brother is stubborn.”

Kylo hesitated. “I don’t know,” he finally admitted, “This technology was used on clones before—soldiers bred for a purpose. Never on natural-born individuals. And certainly never on those with the Force.”

She grabbed his arm. “Will it hurt him?”

He noted the intense glare in her eyes. “I don’t know,” he said, almost at a whisper.

Ana looked to the holographic image of Den, spinning above the holo-projector. “Just do it.”

Kylo pressed a red button, the relay beginning to whir as the signal reached out across the galaxy.

Den and Ahsoka stood back to back, blades ignited, eyeing up the platoon of stormtroopers that had them flanked on all sides. Ahsoka was measuring up her best strategy. The troopers were too afraid to fire—they had seen the scorch marks on the walls outside from how the Jedi was able to deftly deflect the blaster-fire with her blade. Opening fire would turn the chamber into a deadly room of ricocheting blaster bolts.

Den was breathing heavily, his heart pounding at his ribcage. He felt stuck, he felt cornered, until suddenly—a high-pitched buzzing sound rang out from inside of his head. He winced, grunting as he clutched the side of his skull with his hand, doubling over.

Ahsoka looked behind her. “Den—”

The stormtrooper captain noted their guards down. “Blast them!”

Fire rang out, and Den snapped up, his blade moving at lightning speed to deflect the bolts. Ahsoka propelled herself onto one of the catwalks surrounding the chamber, cutting her way through the line of troopers up there.

Back on the ground, Den was fighting with new-found rage, as the buzzing in his head grew ever more intense. He reached a clawed hand out, lifting a trooper by his throat and yanking him through the air onto his blade. The troopers behind him took a few steps back, timid to assault Den, but Den threw his double-blade like a disc and cut through them both, feeling the metal return to his hand. 

Ahsoka returned to the ground, calling up to Den.

“Den, I got them, let’s—”

Den slowly turned around, huffing through gritted teeth. The buzzing in his head had reached a shrill shriek. When he saw Ahsoka standing below him, her blade ignited, he saw red.

He propelled himself from the catwalk, blade brandished above his head as he landed on Ahsoka with full force, their blades clashing together.

“Den, what are you doing?!”

Den was slashing with reckless abandon, uttering words through a pained, clenched jaw with each strike. “Get. Out. Of. My. Head!”

Ahsoka looked at him with bewilderment as she deflected his blows. “Den, stop!” She thrust a hand out, sending him flying into the far corner of the room, tumbling over some crates.

As he stumbled back to his feet, he looked at her with a crazed look in his eyes that seemed... familiar. Something stirred within her. A memory. The last time she had seen that look—she couldn’t place her finger on it—

Rex. At the end. When Palpatine ordered him to kill her. That same look had been in his eyes as the control chip in his mind ate away at his conscience, forced his brain to act independently of his soul.

“ _No,_ ” Ahsoka breathed, coming to a horrible realization. She didn’t realize the First Order had adopted such methods.

Den came charging in, his lightsaber searing the ground as he held it across himself, ready to swipe up at her. But she dodged, jumping to the catwalk and fumbling for one of the fallen stormtrooper’s blasters.

“I’m sorry, Den,” she said as she flicked it to stun.

As Den propelled himself through the air at her, eyes filled with rage and saber brandished, she fired—the blue ring enveloping him and causing his vision to go blank, falling from where he was suspended in the air to the ground in a slump.

Zorii Bliss looked up from where she was propped against the wall, hearing the doorman protesting in Huttese as a figure pushed their way past him. The hooded figure slumped towards her, and she took a step forward.

“Hey, hey, what are you doing here?” she asked, “You’re not one of the crew.”

Ahsoka used her free hand to remove her hood. “Save it, Zorii,” she said, “Remember how you guys owe me a favor?”

Zorii flipped the visor up on her helmet, exposing her eyes. “I’m guessing you’re here to cash that in,” she looked to the unconscious figure slung over Ahsoka’s shoulder, “Who’s your friend?”

“Not important right now,” Ahsoka replied, “Is Babu in?”

“Babu works on _droids,_ you know,” Zorii said dryly, “Your friend doesn’t look like a droid.”

“Just let me see if he can help.”

Ahsoka laid Den on a metal table, surrounded by the clutter of Babu’s workshop. The small Anzellan scampered over, taking a look. He looked at Ahsoka with bewilderment in his large, brown eyes.

“No-a droid-eh?”

“My friend has a control chip embedded in his mind,” Ahsoka told him, “It’s—doing something to him. Can you remove or deactivate it?”

Babu looked to Den’s unconscious form and then back to Ahsoka. He quickly rambled something in Anzellan that Ahsoka couldn’t understand. She looked up to Zorii.

“What did he say?”

“He said he has a medical droid that could perform the procedure,” Zorii said, “But he’s not sure the chip would show up on the droid’s scanners.”

Babu rambled some more.

“With his brain activity lowered, the chip won’t give off a signal,” Zorii continued to translate.

“I can’t wake him up,” Ahsoka explained, “The chip is making him a little... violent.”

“ _Great,_ ” Zorii said, “Thanks for bringing your mind-controlled murder machine friend into our hideout!”

“Hey, you owed me a _favor_ for what happened on Yungbrii,” Ahsoka said, “I’m cashing in.”

“ _Fine,_ fine.”

Babu was busy activating a 2-1B surgical droid and leading it towards Den. The droid activated a scanner with a datapad, showing an ultrared image of Den’s mind. As the droid whirred over, nothing out of the ordinary was showing.

“Chip a-no no?” Babu croaked inquisitively.

“You’re gonna need to wake him up,” Zorii said, her hand hovering above her blaster, “We can subdue him.”

“ _No,_ I won’t hurt him,” Ahsoka insisted. She knelt next to Den, speaking into his ear. “Come on, Den. I need you to stay with me on this.” She placed her palm on his forehead, closing her eyes, breathing slowly, timing her inhales and exhales with his. She had learned over the years that the Force could be used to connect two minds—to exchange words without speech.

She felt Den’s breathing steady. Slowly, she began to murmur softly and in a quick rhythm.

“I’m one with the Force, the Force is with me. I’m one with the Force, the Force is with me. I’m one with the Force, the Force is with me.”

Den took a sharp inhale. Zorii placed her hand on her blaster.

But his lips began to move, forming only mumbles at first, but slowly falling into rhythm with Ahsoka.

“I’m one with the Force, the Force is with me. I’m one with the Force, the Force is with me. I’m one with the Force, the Force is with me.”

As they spoke together, the droid’s scanner lit up. A small, rectangular shape lit up in contrast to the rest of Den’s brain.

“Heh-hey!” Babu cried out in glee.

Ahsoka looked at him. “You found it? How do we deactivate it?” 

Babu spoke, Zorii translating. “The droid can drill into his head and extract the chip,” she said, “It’s... a dangerous procedure. But Babu’s droids are the best. He’s in good hands.”

Ahsoka sighed. “I’ll do what I can to get him through it.”

A whirring sound filled the room as the droid extended a metallic proboscis into the side of Den’s scalp, Zorii wincing and looking away, feeling a tad sick to her stomach.

Ahsoka placed a hand on Den’s chest, focusing on the pounding of his heart, closing her eyes, trying to lend some of her Life Force to him.

“Come on, Den,” stay with me.

Den continued to murmur. “I’m one with the Force, the Force is with me. I’m one with the Force, the Force is with me. I’m one with the Force, the Force is with—the Force is—with—The Force is—” His voice trailed off.

Ahsoka’s eyes snapped open, looking at Babu and the droid with urgency. Den’s heart rate was slowing rapidly, becoming a low, dull thud.

“What’s going on?” she asked urgently, “We’re losing him.”

The droid’s whirring suddenly stopped, pulling the probe from Den’s head—at the end was a small, metallic square.

“Ah done!” Babu announced with pride.

Den’s eyes fluttered open, Ahsoka’s face the first thing coming into focus.

“Huh?” he mumbled, “Wha—where am I?”

Ahsoka sighed in relief. “It’s okay, you’re safe.”

“I—” he propped himself up, quickly getting dizzy and slumping back onto the table.

“No, no—just stay put,” Ahsoka coaxed, “Zorii, get him some water or something.”

“On it.”

The droid booped as it applied a curved silver bandage patch over the spot on Den’s head, a blue glowing circle in the middle of it.

“Ahsoka—” Den said, all of it coming back to him, “I tried to kill you—I—I’m sorry.”

“No, it wasn’t you,” Ahsoka said, “Don’t apologize.”

“What happened?”

Ahsoka smiled. “You’re free,” she told him, “You’re finally free.”


	5. The Door

Ana had grown despondent as the night passed, no sign or word from Den. She sat in her quarters, rubbing at her temple, swearing she could feel the cold sting of metal against her skull. Knowing that the chip could be killing her brother. Or worse—breaking him for good.

In the command center, Kylo stood at the glass panel, watching out onto the hangar bay—waiting. A comms officer approached behind him.

“Lord Ren,” he said, “You have a transmission from Agent Daario.”

Kylo snapped his head around. “Patch him through.” His voice was harsh and garbled through his vocoder.

At the communication relay in the middle of the room, Den’s holographic image buzzed in—only the bottom half of his face visible under a large hood.

“Where are you?” Kylo demanded.

“En route to base from Kijimi in the Mid Rim,” Den said, “Ahsoka Tano attacked the garrison there. I was in pursuit when I received your order.”

“Where has she gone?” Kylo asked urgently.

“She’s taken a hyperspace lane towards Corellia,” Den said, “Into New Republic space.”

Kylo pursed his lips. Den was baiting him. The lie was evident, even across light years.

“I would suggest a rendezvous,” Den continued, “But she doesn’t know I’m pursuing her—”

“I’m revising your orders,” Kylo said, sounding slightly bemused, “Continue pursuit. Do not return to Starkiller until you have Ahsoka Tano in custody— _dead or alive._ ”

Den’s voice caught in his throat for a moment. He wasn’t expecting this answer. “Yes, Lord Ren.”

The door to Ana’s chambers whirred open, and she looked up to see Kylo with his eyes trained on the floor, his helmet tucked beneath his arm.

She rose to her feet. “Is Den back?”

“He reported that he was still in pursuit of Ahsoka Tano,” Kylo told her, “I cleared him to proceed.”

Ana furrowed her brow. “Should we go help him?” Something wasn’t sitting right—Den had obviously lied to him.

“No,” Kylo said, “There may be another way to open the way to Mortis. Follow me.”

General Pryde strode past various holographic images of artifacts and temple chambers as he spoke to Kylo Ren.

“I’ve found something of interest in the Imperial records,” General Pryde told him, “An excavation on Lothal—there was an old Jedi Temple there that held a doorway to another world. Something not unlike what you’ve found under our own base here, from what I understand.”

Kylo scanned the images, narrowing his eyes as he studied an image of a wall painting of three figures—an old man in the center, flanked by a younger man and woman.

“Was the Emperor able to open the portal?”

General Pryde pursed his lips. “The excavation seems to have been destroyed thirty years ago,” he reported, “But other archives show that the temple on Lothal has been known to... appear and reappear from time to time.”

Ana had her arms crossed, scanning the images, settling her eyes on an image of a stone circle, with two smaller circles within it—looking out on a stone spire in the midst of a vast plain.

“We may be able to reopen it,” she said, walking to the image, “Look—it appears there’s a spot for two people to interact with the temple door. Probably using the Force.”

“It’s a worthy lead,” General Pryde said, “Until the rogue Jedi can be apprehended.”

“Thank you, General,” Kylo said, “I will inform Snoke of your achievement.”

The General grinned satisfied to himself as he watched Kylo and Ana depart the chamber.

Kylo’s TIE whirred over the barren, grassy surface of Lothal before settling down on the plain—the exhaust ports whipping the tall grasses around like ocean waves.

He stepped out, feeling his boots hit the soft ground, Ana close behind him. They looked ahead at an enormous cone-shaped rock—hundreds of meters tall.

“This... doesn’t look like a Jedi temple,” Ana commented.

Kylo simply trudged ahead, stopping at a bare circle of stone in the middle of the grasses, with two ancient symbols etched into it, side by side.

“Come stand here,” he told her.

Ana took a few steps, joining by his side.

“This is the spot,” Kylo explained, “If you’re right, it will take both of us to open the door.”

Ana frowned as she looked at the stone monolith. She didn’t see any sort of door or indication that anything lie inside. But sighing and centering herself, she took her place on the circle, closing her eyes and breathing deeply. Kylo joined, reaching out his hand in the same direction.

The sound of sliding rock echoed across the plain, causing Ana to slowly peek through one eye, before taking a sharp inhale at what she saw and opening her eyes.

The spire was spinning in the ground, rising slowly, like a corkscrew being unscrewed from the bedrock of the planet. It rose and rose, until finally a door revealed itself and settled at level with the ground—the crest of the Jedi Order emblazoned in the stone above it.

“Huh,” Ana said, “I was right.”

They proceeded through the door, the stone walls covered in primitive cave paintings and symbols that neither of them recognized. Ana figured this place must have been almost as ancient as the structures under Starkiller Base.

Kylo huffed. “It’s a dead end.”

“Now just wait,” Ana said, “It could be a puzzle, or—”

She stopped when she heard Kylo groan in frustration, hitting his fist against the stone wall at the far side of the room as hard as he could. Ana sighed.

“ _Kylo,_ ” she said admonishingly. He turned around, his eyes flickering a hint of guilt—like a scolded Loth-cat. That look was the closest thing she ever got to an apology.

“We need to find something,” Kylo said, his voice hushed, “ _Anything._ Snoke is growing impatient, and with Ahsoka—”

“Den is hunting Ahsoka,” Ana replied, “He may find her.”

Kylo pursed his lips. “You don’t believe that, do you?”

Her heart lurched into her throat. “No,” she finally managed to say, “But why aren’t we going after _him_?”

“Believe me, _I_ would.”

“...but?”

“But _you,_ ” Kylo responded, “If I went after him, and something were to happen—” he stopped.

“Kylo, what?” she stepped close, taking his hand.

“I’m willing to do a lot,” Kylo said, “The only things I wouldn’t do... are the things I’m afraid you could never forgive me for.”

She smiled sadly, standing on her tip-toes to kiss him gently, her hand cupping the firm line of his jaw.

“Kylo, I _love_ you,” she said, “There’s nothing you could do that could change that.”

“Do you mean that?” Kylo asked—his voice trembling, a youthful quality that she rarely heard since they were young at the temple.

“Of course,” she said, “I’ve told you. There’s nowhere I won’t follow you.”

He grabbed the side of her face, hunching down to kiss her hungrily, her hand exploring up the broad surface of his chest, his hand covering almost the entire side of her face.

“I don’t want to do anything to hurt you,” he told her, “You got us this far. I trust you to unlock the rest of the temple.”

She smiled at him, gently letting her hand fall from his chest, pacing around the room and looking at the walls.

“Look at how this chamber is shaped,” Ana said, noting how her voice echoed, “It’s so quiet—you can’t even hear the wind from outside.”

“So...”

“Don’t you see? This is a meditation chamber. Maybe if we just take a moment to meditate, something will reveal itself.”

Kylo nodded, going to the center of the room and taking a seat, cross-legged. She sat across from him and placed her hands on her knees, palms facing upwards. She closed her eyes, slowly going into a trance, led only by the sound of Kylo’s breathing...

“Ana.”

Her eyes snapped open. It was almost completely dark, only a faint stream of moonlight poured in from the doorway. It was morning when they’d landed at the temple—how long had they been here?

“Ana.”

A voice echoed through the chamber. A voice she recognized.

“ _Den?_ ”

She whirled around, face to face with Den—not in his First Order uniform, but wearing the Jedi robes they had worn growing up.

“Den, what are you doing here?”

“Ana, I—” his voice croaked out and his eyes rolled back as a crackling red blade emerged through his stomach, impaling him. The blade retracting, sending him limp to the ground and revealing the hooded, masked figure of Kylo Ren behind him.

“Kylo!” Ana cried out, tears in her eyes.

“Just as I thought,” he mused, “ _Anger. Hate._ I knew your love for me could only go so far.”

“Kylo, I don’t understand—” she stammered, her eyes flicking between the cold metal of his mask and Den’s dead body on the floor, “Why did you—”

“You _lied_ to me!” he shouted angrily, his voice crackling through his vocoder, “And now—”

He swung his blade overhead, poised to strike her but she quickly pulled her own blade from its holster, pulling it in two and using both blades to deflect him. 

“ _What_ are you doing?!” she demanded.

“You always knew this day would come,” he spoke through the clashing blades before swinging again, meeting her saber from the side, “You knew this was the _real_ me.”

“No...”

“You can’t save me,” Kylo said, “And even worse—you can’t save _yourself._ ”

“No!”

He bashed against her weapons, his strength overwhelming as she struggled to use both weapons to hold him off, her feet beginning to slide against the rocky floor as she threw all of her weight into holding him off.

“Don’t... do... this!” she stammered.

“You’re my past,” he told her, “And my past must die. I’ll kill it, if I have to.”

“ _Ben,_ ” she pleaded, “ _No._ ”

Her hold gave out, stumbling to her hands and knees under him and quickly covering her head as she prepared for Kylo’s killing blow. But it never came. The room went silent. Slowly, she peered up—he was gone. Standing and taking stock of the room, she realized she was alone.

Catching her breath, she watched a stone doorway open from the previously blank wall, Kylo’s silhouette standing in the doorway—now maskless.

Ana pulled her blades back to her hands and ignited them, taking a defensive stance.

“Stay back!” she called out.

Kylo rushed forward through the doorway. “Ana, it’s _me._ ”

“I said stay back!” she reasserted.

He stopped in his tracks, looking at her with bewilderment. He held a hand out, palm facing towards her, gently. “Ana, it’s okay. It’s me.”

Her breathing slowed as she studied him—that pouting look in his eyes finally something she recognized. She disengaged her sabers.

“I’m sorry, I—” she said, “I was confused. I didn’t know where I was.”

“We did it,” he told her, “We opened the rest of the temple. Come look.”

Ana followed Kylo and her eyes adjusted to the lanterns lighting a massive mural painting on the stone wall in front of them. It was the same mural from the archival images—an old man flanked by two figures. The man on the right was bald, red facial tattoos descending from his eyes like tears, and he was dressed all in black. The woman on the right seemed to be his opposite—dressed all in white, with long green hair flowing down her back, and a white convor perched on her shoulder.

“The Mortis gods,” Kylo said.

Ana studied it further. There were rings of gold around each of the figures, with the gilding reaching out in a web, interconnecting them all. Each of them had a single hand covered by a circle.

“It’s amazing,” Ana said, “This has to be something.”

Kylo felt something in him pull him towards the woman figure—the Daughter. He gazed up at her, and could almost swear he felt her watching him back—intently, as if expecting him to do something.

Intuitively, he placed his palm on the circle, closing his eyes and breathing deeply. Ana marveled as it began to glow from his touch. She almost opened her mouth to ask how he had known to do that—but she wanted to give him his space. For the first time in years, she felt an overwhelming sense of peace and light coming from him.

She stared intently at the glowing circle, suddenly realizing. It was the same symbol on the empty pedestal back on Ilum.

Kylo was the key.

He backed up from the wall, looking up, the Daughter still just staring back at him.

He frowned. “Nothing happened.”

“Don’t you see?” Ana asked, “That symbol—it’s the same from Starkiller. We don’t need the amulet to open it. We just need _you._ ”

Kylo’s heart was racing, quickly turning around to head out the temple door.

“Come, Ana,” he said, “We’re going to Mortis.”


	6. The Light

Den tentatively entered the cockpit of the T-6 shuttle, seeing the back of Ahsoka’s montrals silhouetted against the bright flickering blue of hyperspace.

She sensed his presence, glancing over her shoulder and offering a quick smile. “How’s your head?”

“Still hurts,” Den grumbled, rubbing at the circular bandage, “But better.”

“Good. We’re approaching our destination,” she told him, pulling the hyperdrive lever above her head as the streaks of hyperspace condensed into stars. In the middle of the field of stars, there was a large planet—the surface almost black, a distant sun faintly illuminating the far edge of it.

There was an inescapable aura of darkness surrounding the planet. “Where are we?” Den asked cautiously.

“Malachor.”

Den’s eyes went wide. “This is a _Sith_ world—what are we doing here?”

“Just trust me.”

There was an urgency in Kylo’s step as he strode into the ancient planetarium, the ice clinging to the rocky floor crunching under his boot. Ana followed close behind.

On the flight from Lothal, he had become despondent—lustful for the promise of power held on Mortis. The feeling of peace he had felt before the mural of the Daughter had subsided, eclipsed by a blinding and consuming ambition.

“Kylo, we should wait,” Ana called ahead, “Are we really ready—”

“I’m tired of waiting,” he responded, storming to the last empty pedestal. He placed his palm above the symbol, closing his eyes and exhaling forcefully through his nose.

Ana watched as his lowered eyebrows quivered—he was tense. A few minutes passed. Nothing happened.

His eyes snapped open. “You were wrong.”

“Kylo—” Ana said, “You’re not focused. I can sense your energy. You’re conflicted.”

“No, I’m _not._ ”

She stepped closer to him. “Kylo—”

“ _Don’t,_ ” he warned. He saw that look in her eyes. It had been there before when she had tried to sow doubt in him. To reach a part of him that was long dead, that she was determined to bring back to life.

“You connected with the image of the Daughter because you embrace the Light within you,” Ana said.

“There is no Light in me,” Kylo said forcefully—though there was a shade of sadness in his voice.

“I know there is,” Ana said, “And you’ll need it to reach Mortis.”

“You say you know these things about me but you _don’t,_ Ana,” he said, frustrated, “I don’t know why you won’t just _let go._ ”

“Because there’s good in you,” Ana said, “And I’m not letting go of anything until I can get you to see that.”

Kylo glared back at the pedestal, sighing and rubbing between his eyes.

“I’m going to my quarters,” he told her, “We’ll figure it out tomorrow.”

“Kylo, wait—”

But he had stormed past her, boarding the elevator to the surface.

Ahsoka’s shuttle whirred towards the planet, through a shattered break in the glassy surface of flash-frozen carbonite. The abyss below was dark, bore-holes of light streaming in from above.

Den and Ahsoka un-boarded the shuttle next to an enormous heap of rubble compiled in the underbelly of the planet’s surface.

“This was once a Sith temple,” Ahsoka told Den, “But it collapsed thirty-three years ago.”

“How did it collapse?” Den asked.

“Someone was trying to exploit the power within it,” Ahsoka told him, “I faced Vader here.”

“I knew he was once your master but— you _fought_ him?”

“I faced him for the first time since learning who he truly was,” Ahsoka said, “I was consumed by my rage, and it nearly killed me.”

“But it didn’t.”

“I was saved,” Ahsoka told him, “By a Jedi named Ezra Bridger. He was able to access the World Between Worlds and pulled me into it—three years into the future.”

“Did Ezra use the door on Ilum?” Den asked.

“No,” Ahsoka said, “There are other ways. And other ways to Mortis as well. Kylo Ren will find his way eventually.”

“Then what do we do?”

She looked at him. “I’m going to pass down what I know,” she told him, “I can teach you how to access the World Between Worlds.”

Kylo sat on the edge of his bed, staring down at the cold metal floor, not moving his gaze when he heard the metal door to his chamber open.

“Go away,” he said. 

“I’m not leaving until we talk about this,” Ana protested, sitting on the bed next to him, “You want to act like you’re alone in all of this. That you have no one to share your burdens with. But you’re _not_ alone, Kylo. You have me.”

He finally looked up at her from where he was hunched over beside her—that pleading look in his eyes. “I know,” he said.

“If you know then _talk_ to me, Kylo,” she placed her hand over his in his lap, gently squeezing as they interlaced their fingers.

“I know what I have to do,” he said, “I’m just not sure if I have the strength to do it.”

“Of _course_ you do,” Ana told him, “You’re the strongest person I know. You can do anything.”

“These past two years,” he said, “I’ve been so sure of myself. For the first time in my life. And I’m afraid of losing that.”

Ana sighed a little. “You’re more than what you think you are,” she told her, “And when we get to Mortis, you’ll be free. You can be whoever you want. Not who your uncle tells you you are, or who Snoke tells you you are, but who you _really_ are.”

“And who is that?” he asked her, gazing intently into her eyes.

“I can’t decide that for you,” Ana told him, “But I’ll love you. Whoever you decide to be.”

She closed her eyes as she felt the large palm of his hand wrap around the back of her neck, pulling her into a slow, warm kiss. She ran her hand up to his chest, continuing upwards until she was tugging on the collar of his tunic, slowly separating the two sides of it as it came undone. He scrambled his hands to remove his belt, allowing the tunic to fall on the bed behind him, giving Ana the opportunity to plant a row of kisses on his collarbone, leading up his neck, right under his jaw until she was positioned to whisper in his ear.

_“Fuck me.”_

Kylo responded by kissing her deeply, one last time, before gently pressing on her shoulders until she was lying on her back beneath him. Her heart rate picked up as he undid her jumpsuit, standing to peel it and her undergarments completely off of her, allowing him to stare hungrily at her naked body as he fully disrobed, his trousers quickly discarded to the far side of the room.

Her feet were on the ground, her legs hanging off the edge of the bed. He got to his knees and covered the back of her thighs with his large hands, pushing her legs up to allow him access to her wet pussy, beginning to eat her out.

Ana moaned and clutched handfuls of bedsheets in her fingers. This was an art form he had handily mastered over the past two years—knowing just where to dive his tongue to make her see stars.

Her chest was heaving as she breathed heavily. “Fuck... _Kylo..._ ”

It was only then that he came up for air, knowing that this was a request. He held his massive cock in his hand, slapping it against her a few times before plunging in, slowly but all at once.

She went silent, biting her lip as he entered her. She grabbed his arm with one hand, squeezing as hard as she could, digging her nails into him. Just when she thought if she bit her lip any harder she would draw blood, he bottomed out, her lips unfurling into a moan, throwing her head back.

Kylo began to thrust, using one hand to reposition her head to look at him.

“You like that?” he breathed.

Ana nodded fervently. “ _Uh-huh._ ”

“Good girl.”

He picked up speed, bucking his hips against her, the slapping together of their bodies echoing through the chamber.

This went on, Ana moaning and throwing her head about—always returning to lock her gaze with his. His face was flushed.

“Are you getting close?” she asked eagerly.

He nodded, biting his lip. “Where do you want it?”

She gripped his muscular forearm hard. “ _In me._ ”

He let out a trembling exhale that ended in a stifled moan as he closed his eyes, hot cum pumping into her, filling her with a warm feeling that spread all the way into her lower abdomen.

After, he was spent, collapsing on the bed beside her and pulling her into him—holding her, her legs curling into herself, feeling small against his broad chest.

“I love you,” Kylo told her, “So much.”

She propped herself up to kiss him deeply. “Get dressed,” she said, “We have a portal to open.”

Ahsoka sat across from Den, cross-legged in a pool of light streaming in from the porous surface above them.

“You met the Mortis gods,” Den said, “What were they—really?”

“I’m still not entirely sure myself,” she told him, “But from my understanding—they are the purest embodiments of the three aspects of the Force. Light, Dark, and Balance.”

“So the Son was the Dark, the Daughter was the Light, and—”

“The Father was the Balance,” she said, “But he was growing weaker. He needed a Chosen One to replace him, as only they could keep the Light and Dark from destroying one another.”

“The Chosen One—was that _you?_ ”

Ahsoka sighed. “No. They thought it was my master. Everybody did. They thought he was the one who would restore balance to the Force,” she explained, “But all that pressure, that expectation—it led to his downfall.”

“It caused him to become Vader.”

“I’m not sure exactly what made him turn,” Ahsoka said, “I had left the Jedi Order. I was no longer his Padawan. I saw him once, just before the end of the war. And then not again until I met him as Vader, here, on this planet.”

“Was it true?” Den asked, “ _Was_ he the Chosen One?”

“I’m not sure it matters,” Ahsoka said, “No one can keep the Force in balance forever. The balance of the Force is a cycle. Sometimes ruled by the Light, and sometimes by the Dark.”

“But I thought the Mortis gods were dead,” Den said, “If that’s so, then what’s on Mortis?”

“They left their power behind,” she said, “When the Father died, the two children lost their immortality. But like I said, the Force is a cycle.”

“Meaning?”

“While on Mortis, I was killed by the Son in a ploy to bait my master,” she said, “He killed the Daughter as well—but Anakin was able to transfer the last bit of Life Force from her into me to save my life.”

“So the Light is a _part_ of you.”

“So to speak,” she said, “But I believe the two children reincarnated. They lost their immortality, but their existence is crucial to the flow of the Cosmic Force in the galaxy. It can’t exist without them.”

“Then where are they now?”

Ahsoka looked down solemnly. “I have been keeping tabs on Kylo Ren for years,” she told him, “I believe he is the Son. He is the Dark Side.”

Den’s eyes went wide. “How can you know that?”

“I feel a power coming from him that I have not felt since I was on Mortis,” she said, “Luke Skywalker was not able to keep his true nature at bay.”

“Then where’s the Daughter?” Den asked.

“I don’t know,” Ahsoka said, “She may not have revealed herself yet.”

“And will there be a new Chosen One?”

Ahsoka looked at him, a dire expression painted across her red and white face. “We can’t rely on that prophecy. Not again.”

“If Kylo is a Mortis god reincarnated,” Den said, “Then he’ll find Mortis. He’ll seize its power.”

“Not if we stop him,” Ahsoka said, “This is why I brought you here, to train. The veil between the galaxy and the World Between Worlds here was made thin here when Ezra saved me. We can access it.”

Den exhaled in realization. “We can beat him to Mortis.”

“I need you to close your eyes,” Ahsoka said, “Focus. Imagine the walls, the rocks, the planet—just melting away. Let your mind free.”

Den obeyed, closing his eyes and breathing deeply. They sat across from each other for a long while, the underbelly of Malachor growing dark as the distant sun began to set. Ahsoka was able to communicate with Den without words, guiding him until finally a white light shone through the darkness.

“Open your eyes,” she said.

Between them, on the floor, a circular ring had opened, leading into a pitch black realm, a path of white light spreading forward. It was as if the physical matter making up the planet had ripped open, allowing them passage into another plane of existence.

Den marveled into the portal. Ahsoka stood on the other side of it. 

She offered him her hand. “Ready?”

Ana placed a hand on Kylo’s shoulder, rubbing it affirmingly.

“You can do this,” she assured.

He breathed deeply, holding his hand over the pedestal, feeling Ana’s reassuring touch. The symbol finally began to glow, a ringing sound, clear like a bell began to echo through the chamber.

Ana’s eyes went wide as she looked to the far side of the room, a round portal opening in the wall, leading off of the icy planet and into a verdant, sunshine bathed world of lush forests spreading up sheer rocky mountains. There were even mountains that had dislodged from the surface, floating just below the sky, vines hanging from them as they cast long shadows across the surface.

She nudged Kylo. “Kylo, you did it.”

He looked up, his eyes like saucers as he took Ana’s hand and walked towards the portal, feeling the warm sun on his face as he passed through. They stood on a stone, circular platform, suspended high in the air, floating at level with the levitating mountains. Ahead, there was a bridge, leading to a pyramidal structure with a glowing kyber crystal hovering above its apex.

Ana looked—under the bridge, the surface of the world seemed to drop off into a gray, misty abyss. She could see a river flowing off the edge, down into it. This platform was hovering over the edge of the seemingly flat world, the temple ahead just above its cliff-edge.

Kylo gazed ahead, the pyramid was emblazoned with the same symbol as the Daughter’s painting on Lothal, and the final pedestal on Ilum.

“Kylo,” Ana breathed, “It’s amazing.” Tears formed in her eyes. There was so much _Light_ in this place. Her long-awaited chance to show him who he truly was had come at last.

The portal closed behind them. Kylo looked ahead, resolutely, filled with euphoria, ready to seize whatever lie ahead. Ready to seize his destiny for _himself._

But before he could take a step, a voice spoke behind him.

“We meet at last.”

Ana’s blood ran cold. She heard two blades ring to life, the sound of them crystal clear—pure.

Kylo turned, rage rising within him as he looked at Ahsoka Tano—his grandfather’s apprentice—with her austere white blades ignited.

“You won’t take the Power for yourself,” Kylo said to her, “You will fail in what you’ve come here to do.”

“I didn’t come for the Power,” Ahsoka assured him, narrowing her eyes, “I’ve come to kill _you._ ”


	7. The Sacrifice

Kylo’s blade crackled in contrast to the clear, ringing sound of Ahsoka’s white sabers. Ana quickly flung her blade out to the side, lighting it but Kylo held a hand out, telling her to ease back.

“No, Ana,” he said, “This is _my_ fight.”

“Kylo—”

He looked over his shoulder, his dark eyes burning into her. Ana sighed, disengaging her blade, stepping back.

“Don’t worry,” Ahsoka said aside to her, “You’ll get yours.”

“You won’t harm her,” Kylo said lowly, “Not while I’m still breathing.”

Ahsoka cracked her neck. “That can be fixed.”

She came rushing in, blades crossed behind her back, flicking them quickly in front of her to bisect him, but he bashed his blade onto hers—she gritted her teeth as his brute strength pushed against her, her feet sliding against the rock.

Ana was fighting everything in her telling her to intervene, but as Kylo held Ahsoka off, he motioned his hand to the temple.

“Ana, go!”

She nodded quickly in acknowledgement, running away from the fight and up the bridge as Kylo and Ahsoka’s blades clashed against one another behind her. Her eyes narrowed, zeroing in on the temple door, the pyramidal structure getting taller before her, the stone structure holding untold promise.

She skidded to a stop as Den emerged from behind a pillar at the end of the bridge, his blades separated and tracing the ground next to him, now glowing white.

“Den,” she said, shocked for a moment, and then resolute, “Out of my way.”

Den shook his head sadly. “Look at us,” he said, “Look what we’ve come to.”

“You chose this,” Ana told him, “So don’t try and blame me—”

“We had a way _out,_ Ana,” Den insisted, “But you _abandoned_ me.”

“ _I_ abandoned you?” Ana asked incredulously, “What were you doing the night you left the temple? Huh? What was _that_?”

“I saved our lives,” Den defended himself, “I tried to save us again, but you had to go _crawling_ back—”

“How about on Nirauan?” Ana asked, “Whose life were you trying to save _then_?”

Den scowled. “What did you want me to do, Ana? Just roll over and die?”

“I expected you not to try and _murder_ me!”

“Well what goes around comes around,” Den said, “Because now—I’m sure you and your little boyfriend will relish the opportunity to get rid of me.”

Ana took a deep breath. “I don’t want to kill you, Den.”

“Fine,” Den told her, “Last chance.” He disengaged his lightsaber and held out his hand. “Join us. Help us keep Kylo out of the temple. I know there’s good in you, I _know_ there is.”

Ana furrowed her brow, looking at his hand, her red blades still buzzing beside her. She shut her eyes tight, holding back tears. “Den, I _can’t_.”

Den pursed his lips, disappointed. “Fine.” All at once, he thrust both hands forward, pushing Ana back with tremendous force, sending her flying back down the bridge towards the circular platform where Kylo and Ahsoka were embroiled.

Ana rubbed her head as she got up from the stone, distracted at the sight of Ahsoka’s quick duel blows beginning to wear at her lover, hunching over to absorb the blows without time to parry or deflect them.

She was just pushing herself off the ground when she saw Den above her, sabers brandished over his head. He crashed down on her, forcing her to scramble to ignite her own against his, kicking her legs up and knocking him back a few steps before slashing forward. Den was quick while duel-wielding—something he had recently learned from Ahsoka.

He found himself back to back with Ahsoka, who had her blades cross-guarded, deflecting Kylo’s repeated blows—his face growing red with frustration as he hammered away.

Ana whipped her double-sided blade like a propeller behind her back, passing it to her other hand and whipping it towards Den’s head. He ducked, Ahsoka sensed what was happening and so she side-stepped around him, using one blade to block Kylo and the other block Ana allowing Den to get back to his feet.

He found himself face to face with Kylo, swinging overhead, forcing him to stop blocking Ahsoka and turn his attention to the one who had betrayed the fragile trust they had built over the last two years.

Ahsoka was beating Ana back towards the edge of the platform, causing her to nervously glance behind her at the sheer drop down into the endless mist. Ahsoka’s eyes burnt bright blue into her, full of fury as she swung her sabers in front of her, poised to knock Ana clean off the edge. Ana, panicked, use her free hand to grip one of Ahsoka’s lekku, causing her to grunt in pain as she yanked her and forced her to the ground beneath her.

Ana was just about to drive the end of her blade straight into her heart, but Ahsoka sprung herself to her feet, casting her hands out and sending Ana flying across the platform, hitting her head hard enough to be knocked out cold.

Den had his blade locked with Kylo’s—reconnecting them in a brief moment of respite so he could fully bear the blunt force of Kylo’s swings.

Kylo’s dark eyes glared with hatred through the red and white glow of the sabers.

“Traitor!” he spat through the buzzing of blades.

Den scowled spitefully back at him. “I can’t wait for you to die.”

Kylo swung overhead, Den deftly spinning his blade to parry his attacks. Kylo was frustrated—this fighting style that Ahsoka practiced and passed on was quick and evasive, Kylo’s strong, overbearing form worked best on unmoving targets.

But he was able to knock Den off his balance, forcing him to hinge his blade in and hold the parallel blades against his. Kylo pushed hard against him, Den gritting his teeth as he struggled to keep his footing.

Ana’s vision blurred back into focus as she saw Den and Kylo embroiled, and her heart skipped as she saw Ahsoka jump into the air behind him, descending towards Kylo with her blades above her head.

“Look out!” Ana cried.

Kylo looked behind him, seeing Ahsoka descending quickly towards him and threw his body back while still holding off Den with his saber-arm. But this just opened him up, making him vulnerable, and while she couldn’t get in a killing blow—her blade grazed his shoulder, singing a burning rip in his tunic, searing a stripe into his shoulder, across to his chest.

“Agh!” Kylo fell to the ground, onto his hands and knees.

Ana stood, horrified. “Kylo!”

Ahsoka looked at Den. They shared a moment of realization and nodded quickly, running up the bridge towards the temple as Ana rushed to Kylo’s side.

Ahsoka looked to Den as they ran up the bridge. “Let’s get to the temple—we can shut them out.”

“Right behind you.”

They sprinted, finally finding themselves under the stone walls of the pyramidal structure, both of them using the Force to pull the massive stone doors shut. There was a large stone laying in the corner of the structure that Den pushed in front of the door, hopefully buying them some time.

He turned his attention to the center of the temple, where there was a glowing ball of light, brilliantly bright.

“That... must be it.”

“The Power of Mortis,” Ahsoka said.

“But... what _is_ it?” Den asked, “What does it actually do?”

“The Mortis gods from before used it to achieve immortality,” Ahsoka said, “As well as immeasurable power with the Force.”

“Huh,” Den said, “Explains why they were called _gods._ ”

Ahsoka turned her gaze to the door. “Kylo is alive,” she said, “We need to keep both of them out.”

“They’ll get in eventually,” Den told her, “We can’t keep them out forever.”

“The planet changes as the day passes,” Ahsoka said, “They won’t survive the night out there.”

Ana got to her knees beside Kylo, rolling him to his back and gathering him in her arms. He winced in pain, exhaling with strain.

“Kylo,” Ana said tearfully, looking at the still smoldering tear in his clothing, “Come on, talk to me.”

His eyes found hers, he smiled weakly. “I’m alright.”

Ana looked ahead to the temple, frowning at the sight of the closed door. “Wait here,” she told him.

She got up, running down the bridge and pounding on the stone door.

“Open the door!” she pleaded, “Please! There’s good in him—he’s still Ben Solo. Whatever is in there—it can save him!”

“It’s too dangerous,” Ahsoka called back from within, “He is lost to the Dark Side. The power cannot fall into his hands.”

“You don’t understand—we’re going to use it to overthrow Snoke. Don’t you see? We can _end_ the First Order. Spare the galaxy.”

“Give it up, Ana,” Den’s voice responded, “You’ve lost. If you leave now, we’ll allow you to live.”

The anger rose as a heavy feeling in Ana’s chest. Just as she was about to say something else, she was interrupted by a loud crashing sound, as a boulder hurled its way into the door above her, crumbling and beginning to crack the walls of the pyramid.

She looked behind her, seeing Kylo standing there with his arm outstretched, his eyes filled with rage.

“Step aside, Ana,” he said, picking up another boulder and hurling it towards the pyramid.

Den and Ahsoka looked nervously at the cracks forming in the wall. Kylo was breaching the door. They had only a few minutes at the most before he would gain access. They weren’t sure they would be able to hold him off a second time. He was an unstoppable force meeting an immovable object.

“What do we do?” Den looked to Ahsoka.

Ahsoka gazed into the glowing orb, then at Den, before sighing and looking to the ground. “I carry a part of the Daughter with me,” she said, “I _owe_ it to her.”

Den furrowed his brow. “You owe _what_ to her?”

“I can destroy it,” she said, “It will take everything I have, but I can destroy the Power.”

Den’s eyes went wide. “Ahsoka—it could kill you.”

“It could.”

Tears formed in his eyes. “Ahsoka... there has to be another way.”

Outside, Kylo hurled another boulder at the door, forming a fissure in the top of the door, causing their improvised barricade to begin to crumble.

“Hold the door,” Ahsoka said, “I have to do this.”

“Ahsoka—”

“ _Do it!_ ”

Den nodded, thrusting out both his arms and pushing towards the door, trying to hold it together as Kylo continued to hurl heavy stones at it, dust crumbling to the ground and the dim sunlight pouring in through the cracks as he tried to batter his way in.

Ahsoka circled around the glowing orb taking a good look at it as she steadied her stance. From the top of the pyramid, a convor circled down, gliding its green wings through the air before landing on the ground beside the orb, cooing inquisitively as it looked up at her, cocking its head.

Ahsoka smiled sadly at her old friend, the one who had watched over her since she was first saved on Mortis all those years ago. “Thank you, Morai,” she whispered reverently, “For everything.”

The bird flew up and perched on her shoulder as she took a deep breath, extending her hands and focusing on the orb. The light began to crawl out in spindles, wrapping around her arms and sending a jolt through her—she grunted in pain as it tried to overpower her, sending charges of white lightning over her body.

She tried to fight back, muttering softly to keep her focus off the pain—“I’m one with the Force, the Force is with me. I’m one with the Force, the Force is with me. I’m one with the Force, the Force is with me.”

“Ahsoka.”

Her eyes snapped open at the familiar voice. She whispered his name, in a hushed disbelief.

“Anakin.”

“Don’t be afraid, Ahsoka,” his voice said.

She breathed deeply, focusing all of her energy on the orb, pushing the power back, surging through her as her belabored grunts reached a battle cry of determination, pushing beams of light from her arms and into the orb, causing it to overload, expanding before finally exploding and bathing the pyramid in a white light.

Den felt the heat on his back, turning around. “Ahsoka!”

The walls of the temple were failing now—the surge of power crumbling the structure, light pouring in as the ceiling began to cave in.

Den sprinted, dodging falling debris as he ran to Ahsoka, laying in a heap on the ground. He propped her up, shaking her gently as her eyes fluttered open.

“Ahsoka—”

“Den,” she said weakly, “Remember all I have taught you—"

He blinked hard, fighting tears—but failing as one rolled down his cheek. “No. You can’t go. I—there’s so much more I need to learn.”

She smiled weakly, bringing a hand to his cheek. “You have everything you need.”

Sobs were wracking through Den as the temple collapsed around them. “Ahsoka... no...”

“May the Force be with you.”

Her robes became limp in his arms as she faded away, disappearing as she became one with the Force.


	8. The Choice

Kylo breathed heavily, the pain still burning across his shoulder as he watched with ire as the temple settled into a pile of rubble where the walls once stood. The shock of what had happened was still registering with him. He stormed at once into the rubble heap, clearing debris out of his way.

Ana was on his heels. “Kylo, wait—”

He saw nothing remaining in the temple’s center, nothing but Den hunched over on his knees, wracked with sobs. Ahsoka was gone. And so was the Power of Mortis.

His lightsaber blasted to life, Den not even moving. Ana caught up to him, grabbing his shoulder, easing his wielding arm down. “Kylo, don’t kill him. Think about this,” Ana said, “We should take him prisoner. Ahsoka taught him things that we don’t know.”

Den stood and turned to face them, his eyes red and puffy. His face twisted with disgust as he began to speak, “You—”

But Kylo quickly silenced him, curling his hand and clutching Den’s throat, choking him so severely that he was lifted in the air. Ana almost protested, but stopped herself. She just watched as Kylo twisted Den’s body in the air, drawing his hands behind his back.

“Restrain him,” Kylo ordered.

Ana stepped behind her brother, drawing a pair of stuncuffs from her belt, fastening Den’s wrists together. Kylo allowed him to fall back to the ground, falling to his knees and gasping for breath, struggling to lift himself to his feet with his lungs depleted and his hands restrained.

Ana roughly lifted him to his feet by the shoulder and shoved him forward, prompting him to begin walking. They were silent as they proceeded across the bridge—the weather of Mortis changing around them. A breeze was picking up into a howling wind, the blue sky began to turn cloudy and gray. In the distance, a storm raged, lightning arcing from the clouds onto the floating mountains hovering over the distant landscape.

Ana narrowed her eyes at the platform ahead.

“So, we got onto Mortis,” she said, “But how do we get off? The portal is gone.”

Kylo frowned, furrowing his brow. Den was silent, listing off to the side of the platform, looking solemnly over the misty abyss leading to the sheer cliffside of Mortis’ surface.

Ana looked to her twin. “You. Ahsoka taught you how to get here.”

Den turned to her. “Yes.”

“Then you can get us out of here.”

Den was quiet, keeping his lips shut tight. Kylo’s anger was spiked, he stormed to Den, towering over him and getting close to him as he buzzed his lightsaber into ignition.

“You will get us out of here,” he told him, “Or you will die.”

Den simply glowered up at him, his eyes burning into Kylo before he fixed his mouth to spit in his former commander’s face. Kylo blinked, his rage registering as he wiped the spit off of his face with a gloved hand. He then swung his lightsaber overhead, about to execute Den, but Ana ran and grabbed him by the shoulders, stopping him.

“Kylo, don’t!” she snapped, “Then we’ll definitely be stuck here forever.”

Kylo turned to Ana. “You’re weak.”

Ana scoffed. “ _Excuse me?_ ”

“I sense the conflict in you,” he told her, “You know he is a traitor and deserves a traitor’s death. But you don’t want to give it to him.”

“He’s my _brother._ ”

“I left behind _everyone_ for this,” Kylo spat through clenched teeth, “You have to choose your loyalty. Him or me.”

Ana’s heart was in her throat, fighting back tears as she looked at her lover’s rage-twisted face. She shook her head, “I can’t—”

“Fine,” he said, “I’ll choose for you.” Kylo turned around, raising his lightsaber—the red glinting in Den’s eyes as it hung suspended in the air above him, getting ready to swing down and finish him off—his hands bound and unable to do anything.

Ana watched in horror. “No!”

As he swung his blade down, Kylo was surprised when he felt his blade hit on something in the air just in front of him. He looked—his blade had come into contact with some sort of blue force field, waves of energy flowing through it and forming a cone of energy around him.

Den peaked from where his eyes had been shut tight, bracing himself. He found himself encased in a similar force field—dual force fields had formed around him and Kylo, their borders touching and glowing together, but effectively separating them. Den glowered at Kylo through the translucent barrier, and then turned to Ana, exhaling when he realized that his sister was not similarly trapped.

Ana was frozen, her brow furrowed. Her head felt fuzzy, whispering voices dancing through her mind. Her breath quickened.

Den looked at her with reproach. “Ana, what’s going on?”

Her eyes snapped open, she looked gravely at them both.

“To get off of Mortis,” she said, “Someone has to die.”

Kylo furrowed his brow. “What are you talking about? How do you know that?”

“The planet is... telling me,” Ana said, “I don’t know how to explain it.”

Den searched her expression—the fear and confusion on her face was no bluff. She was truly flustered.

“So who’s it gonna be?” Den asked, “Who decides that?”

A stone pedestal rose out of the ground, ancient technology embedded into the top of it. A burnished metal panel was adorned with a switch, one that could be turned towards either force field.

A grim realization came over her. “I think I do.”

Ana looked at them both. They were realizing the gravity of the situation. Whoever Ana chose—they could only imagine what sort of death Mortis had in store for them. The wind was picking up, the sky grew darker. A gust blew through Ana’s hair as she stared down at the lever.

“Ana,” Kylo said, “It’s you and me now. Through everything that’s happened—we’ve had each other. We _need_ each other.”

Ana’s lip quivered as she bit back tears.

“Come on, Ana,” Den pleaded, “I’m your _brother._ He isn’t worth it. He destroyed _everything_ we had, Ana. If you let him live, the First Order will destroy the galaxy. And you will have helped. Is that the legacy you want to have?”

“We won’t destroy the galaxy,” Kylo said, “We’ll build a new one. And you and I—we’ll rule it. _Together._ ”

“This is insanity,” Den told her, “We want the same thing, Ana. We can come to an understanding. We always have. Since _birth._ ”

“He wants to hold you back,” Kylo argued, “He’s afraid of your power. He knows you’re stronger than him, and his jealousy will come back to haunt you if you don’t end him, _now._ ”

Den bit his lip. “Ana, I’m sorry! Okay? I’m sorry,” he burst out, a tear rolling down his cheek, “I should never have turned on you on Nirauan. I just—I was scared, and I was scared of the path you were going down and—I should have never tried to abandon you either. At the temple. But I’ve learned from my mistakes. I want to make this right. He _doesn’t—_ he’ll keep doing horrible things and he’ll never be who you want him to be. _This_ is him. Ben Solo never was. He was _always_ Kylo Ren.”

Ana looked at him. “You’re wrong.”

Den shook his head. “Starkiller. It’s going to kill billions. You can stand by and let that happen?”

Ana was silent, her stomach lurching as she thought of the infernal superweapon. What would be done when it was completed—but that was Snoke’s creation, not Kylo’s.

“Without him,” Den said, “We can defeat Snoke. We can bring down the First Order. Go to the Republic with what we know. We can put an end to it.”

“You can’t destroy the First Order,” Kylo said, half to Den and half to Ana, “It’s inevitable. It’s the natural order of the galaxy. And _we_ can come out on top of it.”

Ana searched Kylo’s pleading eyes through the invisible barrier. She knew what was truly inevitable. Ben was in there. And he was the best chance to restore balance to the galaxy. She knew he was capable of it. But Den would never let it happen.

She looked to her brother. “I’m sorry,” she said, “But you’re wrong about him.”

Den’s eyes widened as Ana fixed her hand over the switch, turning it towards her twin, ready for Mortis to exact its judgement upon him. But she was surprised when the field lowered around him—Den felt the restraints bounding his wrists suddenly snap off. He met his sister’s eyes.

They stood, the wind howling around them, taking one last look—neither of them willing to speak. There was nothing more to be said. Only an ending to things.

Den pulled his saber from his hip, thrusting it out to the side and extending the white blades, widening his stance as he positioned it behind him, the tips of the long blade visibly extending over and under him.

Ana ripped her blade in two at the center, framing herself with them, taking an attack stance.

Den took a deep breath, and whispered to himself. “This is for Ahsoka.”

He rushed in, his blade spinning into a blur at his side, crying out with rage as Ana met both sides by holding her own weapons parallel, one above her head and one at her chest. Den pushed into it, but Ana was able to use the friction to flip herself forward, kicking Den in the face and staggering him as she landed back on her feet and swung her blades together, nearly bisecting him if Den wasn’t able to bend backwards under it, sliding along the stone platform past her, springing up behind her and swinging downwards. The hairs on the back of Ana’s neck stood straight up, she intuitively brought her saber above her head, stopping Den’s attack cold. She turned around under her hilt, thrusting her other blade forward in a stabbing motion, forcing Den to side-step, and disengage his blade from hers.

The wind was beginning to pick up, the floating masses of rock and plant-life slowly revolving in something resembling an orbit around the platform, being thrust out over the edge of Mortis’ flat surface. They whirled by as the flashes of red and white pierced the gray as Ana and Den furiously fought, the pace kept quick as years of pent-up rage and feelings of betrayal sprung forth. Kylo watched from behind his barrier, his breath held, willing Ana’s victory.

Den was deft at blocking with his double-ended saber, and Ana was finding it hard to land a hit. When her stamina wavered, Den took the attack, swinging each end of his saber over and over—trying to strike her. She was blocking, but he was advancing on her, pushing her dangerously close to the edge.

Her heart was pounding as she checked behind her, seeing her heels lined up just against the drop-off into the endless mist below. She saw a shadow pass over Den’s face, a floating mountain blown by the wind revolving behind them. She closed her eyes, summoning the Force as she jumped—springing high into the air above the platform, flipping backwards and landing on top of the floating mountain, her feet finding the grassy surface atop it.

Den took a deep breath after watching her disappear to the top, holstering his sabre before flinging himself a the mountain and catching a vine dangling from the bottom of it. He gripped it hard with both hands, wrapping himself around it, feeling the wind on his face as he watched the mist below him, the floating mountain picking up speed as it orbited back around towards the surface.

He steeled his grip, climbing up the vine until he was finally able to get a grip on the stony cliff leading up to the flat surface on top. He began to struggle his way up, struggling to find his footing on the small ledges and divots on the sheer cliff face.

Ana walked to the edge, looking down at her brother climbing towards her. She clenched her jaw, thrusting a flat palm downwards and dislodging a piece of rock and sending it barreling down towards him. Den’s eyes widened, propelling himself sideways out of the rock’s path. His lower half swung under his as his hands found another ledge, his knuckles white as he gripped for dear life onto the cliff face. He looked up, seeing Ana peering down the cliffside towards him, and towards the surface of Mortis hundreds of yards below.

He saw her taking a deep breath and beginning to thrust another hand out, surely to try and push him off the cliffside. Den rallied his strength, pushing his feet on the rock and propelling himself into the air, rising above Ana, flipping as he ignited his blade and landed on top of her.

Ana had to dodge quickly, cutting her lightsabers to the side to block him. Their blades clashed together again and again, fighting their way to the center of the mountain as it drifted over the windswept surface of Mortis and back over the cliff, hovering once again over the mist.

Den spun around, his blade by his waist, thrusting it out—Ana jumped over it, landing back on the ground and swinging both blades overhead, forcing Den to thrust his hilt with both hands above his head—the red blades grating against his white. Ana once again used the friction to push herself, flipping over his head and thrusting her sabers back behind her, but Den was able to turn around in time to step back out of their reach, thrusting a hand out and pushing her, sending her flying off the edge of the levitating mountain.

She landed back on the stone platform they had started from with a thud, the pain stinging through her limbs as she took the impact of the fall from all fours. Kylo saw this from his force field cage, watching with worry as she struggled to her feet.

“Ana, look out!” he cried out to her.

Den was descending quickly from above, lightsaber hilt and both blades above his head, getting ready to land on her and drive his saber clean through. Ana, still on all fours, thrust a palm behind her back, stopping Den’s fall and sending him flying back, skidding on his back towards the edge of the platform, grunting as he hit the hard surface.

Ana rose to her feet, joining her blades back together, holding it out to the side as she swayed in her stance, battered and out of breath.

Den was in a similar state as he got to his feet, squinting as his vision blurred from the way the back of his skull had hit the stone.

Both exhausted, they summoned everything they had left as they rushed at each other, meeting blades in the center of the platform, each blow delayed by their even strength—their blades would clash and then stay entwined together as they both pushed, trying to overpower the other.

Den swung his blade outwards, Ana blocking to the side. He fixed a rueful gaze on her as her pushed her blade closer to her, the heat of it reflecting off of her body, so hot she could feel it on her face. Den gritted his teeth, pushing harder and harder until the blade began to graze her side, buzzing as it began to touch her clothes at her hip, burning through and beginning to singe her flesh.

Ana screamed in pain, her eyes wet with tears as she used everything she had to stop Den from pushing her into cutting herself in half. Her eyes looked beyond the blades, to Kylo, whose eyes were full of horror as he watched her. They were almost pleading, pleading not to lose the only person in the galaxy who accepted him no matter what. Ana recognized those eyes.

They were Ben’s eyes.

She continued to scream with exertion as she pushed Den off, the blade moving away from her burnt flesh, until she was able to get enough traction to slide under the blades and swing back, whirling around, bashing so hard and so fast that Den only had time to block, stepping backwards as she advanced on him.

She was pure unbridled rage at this point, feeling the darkness rise in her as she struck with fury. Den was a good defensive fighter, but he wasn’t able to find an opportune moment to strike back. She kept bashing, pushing him closer and closer to the edge of the platform.

He grunted at each blow, her fighting reinvigorated. He felt his feet teetering at the edge of the platform. Finally, in a moment of do-or-die, he extended his right arm to strike at her overhand, but Ana undercut, her blade meeting Den’s flesh at his shoulder, cutting clean through.

Den screamed as his arm was rent from his body, looking behind him to watch it, and his lightsaber, disappear into the abyss.

Struggling to breathe through the pain, his stance thrown off by the sudden loss of limb, the wound still smoldering as it cauterized, he gritted his teeth. Even Ana took pause. Den was defenseless. Her next strike would end it all. And despite it all, she couldn’t bring herself to do it.

The pain materialized into rage inside Den, and he thrust his remaining hand forwards. Ana saw, and just as the Force began to push her back, she also pushed her hand forward. She slid on her heels backwards across the platform, their Force evenly matched. Den was keeping his ground, his heels just barely over the ledge. Ana kept sliding back towards the opposite edge, quickly running out of solid ground and out of time.

She closed her eyes. Took a deep breath. _This was for Ben._

She extended her other hand, exerting everything she had to break the stalemate. The last thing she saw was fear in her brother’s eyes as he was propelled over the ledge. Free from the battle, she ran to the opposite edge. Looking over, she watched Den’s form become a silhouette in the mist, finally disappearing as he fell completely.

Though she had won, she immediately clasped a hand over her mouth, her body wracked with sobs. Tears flowed as she fell to her knees at the edge, only stopping to breathe when she felt a hand on her shoulder.

“You did what you had to,” Kylo told her.

“He was my brother,” Ana said tearfully, “I—”

Kylo helped her up and pulled her into his arms, letting her cry against his chest. He rubbed her back, kissing her head as he tried to comfort her. From the embrace, he watched the portal to Starkiller open on the opposite end of the platform.

“Come on, Ana,” he said, looking at her, wiping a tear from her cheek with his thumb, “It’s time to go.”

Ana looked at him, her lip still quivering.

“We’re in this together,” Kylo said, “Always.”

She placed a hand along his jaw, pulling him into a passionate kiss, the clouds breaking above them and the sun setting over the surface of Mortis, beams shooting from around the edges of the mountains.

Her hand fell into his, Ana taking one last look behind her at the mysterious world for which they had searched so long, and walked through the portal with the only person she had left.


End file.
